Scarlet Fever
by In The Name
Summary: When Jane and Lisbon find themselves to be the only members of their team not on some sort of vacation, they are the only ones available to go undercover to solve a case.
1. Calm Before The Storm

**As this is my first ever FF story, reviews are greatly appreciated. Let me know your thoughts about this and whether or not I should continue this story. Thanks :D**

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Scarlet Fever

It was an ordinary day at the office for Teresa Lisbon. They had just closed a case where an angry lover killed her boyfriend's wife. It was pretty simple, as far as motive and murder go, but it involved a politician so they had been called in. After their case-closed pizza, Lisbon retreated to her office.

Jane decided to follow her after the other members of their team left. After Rigsby had made an excuse to leave with Van Pelt, Cho decided that it was late and that he too, should be heading home. Jane waited a minute for Rigsby to realize he forgot his keys…

"Hey, Jane. You're still here? I forgot my keys." Rigsby said, rushing through the motions of a conversation.

"Yeah I noticed. You have a nice night with Van Pelt" Jane replied. At that, Rigsby turned bright red and he practically ran to the elevator. It was fun embarassing the members of his team, because he did consider himself a part of the team rather than simply a consultant, but he couldn't help think of Lisbon blushing, as she was his favourite to embarrass. She just looked gorgeous the way her skin would flush and all the blood seemed to gather at her cheeks and neck. Then he remembered that he was going to go see Lisbon in her office.

Jane got up off his couch and walked over to Lisbon's office, noticing that she had closed the blinds. That sparked his curiosity, which quickly sparked something else when he thought about what he wanted to do with the blinds closed. No, he shouldn't think like that, it's Lisbon. Lisbon, who always looked beautiful, even when chasing down a suspect. Lisbon, who made him crazy almost every second of the day. Lisbon, who would probably shoot him if she knew what he was thinking right now. So he took a moment to compose his thoughts, and then he walked into her office.

"What do you want Jane?" She asked. Not with anger or annoyance, but with simple curiosity.

"I want many things." He answered cryptically, "But I'm pretty sure you don't want to be bothered with them all."

"Let me rephrase, why are you in my office?" Lisbon said, getting a little annoyed now but that was because she was tired. She liked his presence in her office, even if it was simply to tease her about one thing or another. She tried not to let it show though, and was facing the only window she had left unobstructed.

"Do I really need a reason to come and talk to my favourite CBI agent?" Jane replied, trying to get her to smile.

"Seriously Jane." Lisbon tried to hide her amusement but as she turned around to face him, the smile she had been trying to suppress decided to make an appearance.

"I was merely wondering why you were still here, we don't have a case anymore. I am a friend who is concerned that their friend is not getting the sleep she needs right now." Jane said. Upon seeing that he was successful in making her smile, he looked at her with one of his own. How he wished that he could walk across her office, close the gap between them, and caress her cheek with his thumb. But he restrained himself, as he did most days when he was around her. Since he was using so much self control to stop himself from touching her or kissing her every minute of every day, it was really no surprise that he couldn't restrain himself from antagonizing suspects in their cases. There was simply no control left for him to use; he wished he could explain this to Lisbon but he knew if he did then he would have to tell her about how deeply his feelings for her were. But he could not burden her with the knowledge, so he kept it from her, kept her safe from this unwanted information.

"I have paperwork to fill out" Lisbon said, not meeting his eyes.

"I would argue that you could do it tomorrow, when you've gotten some rest, but we both know that paperwork is not the reason that you are still here. So why don't you tell me what's keeping you here and I'll see if I can help?" Jane desperately wanted her to open up with him, to let down her shields, but knew that she needed her shields to protect herself so he usually didn't pry. Tonight was different though, she hadn't slept in almost 48 hours and she had worn herself out and if the only way he could get her to go home and get some rest by getting her to talk about what was keeping her awake, then he was going to pry into her thoughts and feelings.

Lisbon wanted to tell him, she really did, but she couldn't bring herself to let him know what was bothering her. She couldn't let her shields down, the ones she fought everyday to keep up. She wouldn't burden him with the knowledge of how he made her feel, despite his asking, it would be unhelpful information and she would protect him from it.

Lisbon knew that he would know if she was lying to him and she was too tired to fight with him, so she decided to tell him the truth. Not the whole truth, simply a part of it, albeit a small part, but truth nonetheless. "I don't want to go home alone. My apartment always feels so lonely after a case…"

Jane was surprised that she had opened up so easily, but he could see in her eyes that this wasn't everything, far from it. But he decided that that was enough prying for one night. "Okay, grab your coat, and the change of clothes you keep in the second drawer of your desk and let's go."

"What?" Lisbon asked. She was confused, what was he doing? For a second she thought that maybe he would take her home with him, but that was crazy. He was probably going to drop her off at a hotel. At this thought, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

"Well you don't want to spend the night alone, so I'm going to take you to my apartment and we can keep each other company. Don't worry; I'm not going to seduce you. At least not tonight." He added with a grin.

"Huh? What, no. I didn't think… uh… I wasn't…" Lisbon's tired mind refused to come up with a complete sentence.

"Lisbon, I'm just messing with you. Now come on, let's go before you pass out." Jane smiled at her reassuringly.

Against her better judgement, Lisbon grabbed her stuff and smiled at him as they walked to the elevator. "Thank you." She whispered.

xxxx

The drive to his apartment was quick but that didn't stop Lisbon from falling asleep before they reached their destination. When Jane pulled up to his apartment building, he wasn't going to bring her to his Malibu house as it would only make her less inclined to sleep, he looked over at the sleeping Lisbon and, rather than wake her up, he went around to the passenger door and gently picked her up. He got a few strange looks from passers-by but he didn't notice; he was only watching Lisbon while she slept in his arms as he made his way up to his apartment.

He had barely made it in the door when Lisbon stirred. She opened her eyes, temporarily forgetting where she was, or rather where she was going. Feeling more than seeing Lisbon wake up, Jane decided to set her down so she could get ready for bed.

"The bathroom is just to the left there; feel free to use the shower if you need to. And the bedroom's right across the hall." Jane said.

"Um, Jane?" Lisbon asked tentatively.

"Yes, my dear?"

"There's only one bedroom." Lisbon stated, as if he didn't already know.

"Yes, and?"

"If I'm in the bedroom, the only bedroom, where are you going to sleep?" Lisbon asked.

"I'll sleep on the couch tonight." Jane said.

"That can't be good for your back." Lisbon said.

"Meh, I'll live."

"This is ridiculous. I will sleep on the couch; after all it is your house."

"Nonsense! If it's such a big deal to you, we can both sleep in my bedroom." Jane said.

"Uh, well… I don't think… I really don't mind…" Lisbon muttered.

"Teresa, we are both mature adults who do not need to _sleep_ with each other in order to sleep with each other. Do you understand?" Jane rationalized.

"Yeah, fine. Whatever." Lisbon was too tired to argue anymore. "And Jane… um… I don't…"

"I have a shirt you can wear and I'm sure I could dig up some pyjama bottoms if you want, but it is really hot out I don't know if you would be comfortable with them." Jane said, practically reading her mind. As much as he led Lisbon to believe, he didn't always know what she was thinking. In fact, she was actually pretty hard to read, but his guesses were usually right and when he wasn't almost certain of what she was thinking, he just wouldn't say anything at all.

With that, Lisbon hurried into the washroom, thanking Jane for the shirt and silently congratulating herself on her ability to restrain herself from doing something innapropriate to Jane, as well as the foresight to carry a toothbrush in her purse. Lisbon brushed her teeth and changed into Jane's shirt, she could take a shower in the morning, it was after all a Saturday tomorrow.

While Lisbon was in the washroom, Jane mentally shook himself, thinking thoughts of how he couldn't under any circumstances lose his control tonight. He wanted Lisbon to feel safe, not pressured or uncomfortable. So he decided to find some pyjamas for tonight, even though it was really hot out. He didn't want to make this harder than it already was.

Lisbon came out of the bathroom to find Jane in his boxers, looking through his drawers. She put her clothes and toothbrush on the table by the door and waited a moment before alerting him to her presence. She was also enjoying the view.

"Lose something?" She asked. Jane jumped, startled. He didn't realize that she was done in the washroom. When he turned around, he almost forgot that she had asked him a question; she looked so good in his t-shirt. He was momentarily caught up in fantasies of her falling asleep every night beside him, in his t-shirt or nothing at all. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts before answering her question.

"It's just, I don't normally wear pyjamas to bed when it's so hot out." Jane said, blushing. "So I don't have anything to wear to bed but maybe an old t-shirt and my boxers."

"Don't think that you need to wear pyjamas for me." Lisbon blushed when she realized how that sounded. "I mean, I don't want you to be uncomfortable on my account."

"Okay then, thank you Lisbon." Jane was relieved; it would have been hot enough tonight without having her warm body sharing his bed, and seeing how she was… Well, he was just glad he wouldn't be overheating. Jane made his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and splash some cold water on his face. After a few minutes, he returned to the bedroom to find Lisbon just standing there, staring at the bed.

"It's not going to bite you" Jane said. He was so close to her that he practically whispered it in her ear. She jumped.

"I know. I'm just not sure which side of the bed you sleep on." Lisbon said quietly. She was feeling slightly embarrassed by the whole ordeal. She never thought she'd be sharing a bed with Jane, well she'd had fantasies where they were, but the circumstances were much different than these ones.

"I prefer to sleep on the right side, if that's alright with you" Jane replied.

"That's actually perfect; I like the left side myself." Lisbon said. With that, it was settled. They climbed into the bed on their respective sides and got comfortable. They whispered their goodnights and fell into deep relaxing sleeps, the best night's sleep either of them had had in a long time.

Xxxx

The next morning, Lisbon awoke to find that during the night she had curled into Jane's side. She was slightly alarmed to find her hand lying on his chest, her legs entangled with his and her head resting on his shoulder. But she was not the only one to have changed sleeping positions throughout the night; Jane had encircled her with his arms in tight embrace and buried his face in her hair. She decided to lay there for a few minutes because she enjoyed the contact and the feelings it gave her. She liked feeling safe in Jane's arms. That, and his strong arms prevented her from moving.

Jane woke up a few minutes after Lisbon did, surprised that he had managed to sleep that night. He attributed it to the woman lying with him in his bed. He'd woken up once briefly to find that she had moved in her sleep to be closer to him, so he was not surprised by their position, only by the fact that Lisbon hadn't extricated herself.

"Good morning sunshine." Jane said sleepily.

"Mmm," was Jane's only reply. She still hadn't made to move out of his arms, a fact that didn't escape his notice.

"Not that I'm complaining, but do you mind telling me why you haven't run all the way to Timbuktu yet? Given our current position, I would've thought that you'd have jumped out of bed the second you got up." Jane inquired. He was still waking up and could put the energy into coming up with some extravagant plan to get the answer, so he just asked.

"Well, your strong arms have succeeded in preventing me from doing so, Jane" Lisbon wiggles a bit in his arms to prove that he did, indeed, have a vice-like grip on her.

"Oh! Well, uh, sorry about that" Jane muttered as he let her go and got out of bed. He went into the bathroom and could have sworn he heard Lisbon whisper something along the lines of 'I didn't mind' while he left. He had a quick shower, not wanting to use all the hot water; after all, he did have a guest over. Whilst in his shower, Jane tried to get the inappropriate thoughts of his boss out of his head to no avail. He just couldn't shake the image of her in his arms and how much he wanted to have her in his arms again.

Little did he know that the day's events would grant him just that.

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**So... what do you think? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Review please.**


	2. The Assignment

**First off, thank you to everyone who reviewed, put me on story alert, or anything else. It's really nice to see that you want to read more of this story. Let me know is you see any mistakes or whatnot. And enjoy!**

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Scarlet Fever

Lisbon went into Jane's kitchen after her shower and was bombarded with the delicious smells of eggs and bacon. Coincidently, that was her favourite breakfast; or knowing Jane, not so coincidently. He always seemed to know things about her that she couldn't recall telling him. Usually, it got on her nerves, but she was starting to see how this special talent of his could be useful.

"What's all this?" Lisbon asked.

"It's just a little something for Saturday morning breakfast; or more accurately Saturday morning brunch." Jane said, looking at his watch.

Lisbon glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was indeed closer to lunch than breakfast. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept in this late, although admittedly, it had probably just taken longer to get ready, seeing as there were two of them who needed to shower.

Lisbon sat down at the table and started eating. She noticed that Jane wasn't wearing his usual three-piece suit, but had traded it in for jeans and a t-shirt. The effect was very nice, she thought. She was about to comment on it, when her cell phone rang.

"Lisbon," she said as a greeting.

"It's Hightower, I know it's a Saturday but I need you to come in for work," said Hightower.

"Might I ask why?" Lisbon inquired.

"You know that Cho is still on his honeymoon and Van Pelt and Rigsby are both on vacation as of today, leaving only Jane and yourself available from your team. Well there is no way that you have enough people to take on a case, so I'm putting you two on one with another team. Come to my office as soon as you get here, and bring Jane." Hightower explained.

"Yes ma'am. Which team will we be working with?" asked Lisbon.

"You'll be working with the Undercover Operations Unit." Hightower said. She then hung up, leaving a shell-shocked Lisbon to explain the phone call to Jane.

"What was that about?" Jane asked.

"We need to go into work today" Lisbon said.

"Why? Cho's on his honeymoon in Hawaii, and Rigsby finally patched it up with Van Pelt so they are currently on a sort of honeymoon of their own. What could they possibly need us for?" Jane asked, thoroughly confused.

"We are going to be helping another unit with their case." Lisbon said. "So you go get ready for work, I don't think jeans are a part of the dress code." She was glad that the change of clothes she had were appropriate for work.

"Well what is the case? And why do they need us?" Jane asked, while putting away dishes from their breakfast.

"I'm not sure; Hightower wants us to go to her office when we get there so I expect she'll tell us then." Lisbon said.

xxxx

When Lisbon and Jane arrived in Hightower's office, they were surprised to find that they weren't the only ones there.

"Agent Lisbon, I'm sure you're familiar with Agent Gray? Agent Gray, this is Mr. Jane, Lisbon's consultant." Hightower said.

Lisbon was indeed familiar with Agent Gray, Macy Gray was known for being a great team leader and she was a lot like Lisbon. They both ran tight ships and they worked very hard to get to where they were now. Gray was one of the only other female team leaders in the CBI, and Lisbon admired her dedication.

"So this is the infamous Patrick Jane." Gray said.

"Yes, that would be me," Jane said, shaking her hand.

"Now that everyone's acquainted with each other, let's get down to business," Hightower said. "Agent Gray's team is currently on the case of a serial killer who is hitting hotels in Rosemont; their honeymoon suites in particular. Now, since Agent Gray's people have had their cover blown," Hightower gave Agent Gray a pointed glare that conveyed her disappointment and disapproval. "They are in need of two people to go undercover as newlyweds. And since your whole team is absent, you two are prime candidates."

Lisbon just stared in shock. She had been thinking that they would be helping out with technical things behind the scenes, so to speak. She hadn't really considered going undercover herself; they did after all have special agents trained to do so. And how could Jane even be considered? He wasn't even an agent for crying out loud!

"Um, Jane's only a consultant." Lisbon said, uncomfortable.

"Yes, he is. But what does that have to do with this?" Hightower asked.

"Well, he isn't qualified to go undercover," added Gray.

"Which is why I have arranged for both Mr. Jane and Agent Lisbon to be in a training camp of sorts, so that we don't get a repeat of last time," Hightower said with another pointed look at Gray. "I think we're done here. Agent Gray, please fill Agent Lisbon and Mr. Jane in on the rest of the case details as well as those of their operation."

Agent Gray, Lisbon and Jane left her office and went to the Undercover Operations Unit's offices. When they arrived there, Lisbon and Jane were introduced to Agents Reed, Banks and Murray. They would be the behind the scenes guys, taking care of surveillance and making sure that Lisbon and Jane would have their reservations taken care of and whatnot. There were other teams in the Undercover Operations Unit, they even had their own floor, but Lisbon and Jane would only be working with Gray's team.

"There are six victims in total, all of them killed in pairs while staying in the honeymoon suite at various local hotels. The serial killer in question never visits the same hotel twice, so you guys will be staying at a different one than the previous victims were killed in. The killer doesn't seem to have a type any more specified than newlyweds. Therefore, you two will have to go undercover as newlyweds. The killer seems to have had the victims under surveillance before he murdered them; he knew their habits and when they would be in their room. So you guys will be in character all the time unless you are told otherwise." Gray said. She got right down to business; she desperately needed for this operation to go smoothly.

"Agent Gray?" Jane asked.

"Yes?" Gray replied.

"What was this 'training camp' that Hightower mentioned?" Jane inquired.

"Right, since you two are not trained in undercover operations and there is no room for error in this operation, you two will be perfecting your act the rest of the weekend. There is a makeshift apartment of sorts down the hall that we use to train new members and to rehearse. You two will be staying there tonight and tomorrow while we observe you to make sure that you are up to the task." Gray explained. "Now, if you'll follow Agent Reed here, he'll explain to you exactly what you will be doing and giving you your fake identities."

"Well this sounds like fun" Jane whispered to Lisbon. She was still kind of shocked at this whole thing but her brain was starting to function again. Of course only Jane would think that this would be 'fun'.

xxxx

"You two are going to be posing as Mr and Mrs Foster. We're going to keep your first names, since it's easier that way and you'll be less likely to slip up. You two are from Los Angeles and wanted a quiet get-away for your honeymoon. You guys met at work, you are both engineers, you guys started dating a year ago and then after eight months Patrick popped the question. You guys were engaged for four months and are getting married tomorrow," said Reed.

"I have a question," Jane exclaimed. "Are we going to have to stage a wedding? Or just arrive there pretending that it happened?" Jane wasn't sure he could handle going through a fake wedding, even if it was with Lisbon. Not after what happened to his wife…

"You guys don't have to go through the motions of getting married; the hotel believes that you two got married in Los Angeles and that you are arriving for your honeymoon afterwards." Reed explained.

"So what exactly will we have to do?" asked Lisbon.

"When you two arrive at the hotel on Monday night, you two are going to check in and go to your suite. Remember that you two will be under surveillance, we're assuming, so you guys will have to have a traditional honeymoon." Reed explained. He was very professional; he did this all the time, so even if he was a bit uncomfortable with the subject he didn't show it. "The next day you two will get up and go for a morning hike, and then you will go to whatever event is offered that day at the hotel. It is important that you guys establish a sort of routine. Be sure to be in the hotel room after dinner and the night activity. But we want you to be out and about during the day so that the killer will see you. He strikes once a month, but it's always on different days of the week so you'll have to stay at the hotel for about a week. If he strikes earlier, then you are off the hook for the rest of the week."

"So what is the plan for catching the killer?" Jane asked.

"Leave that to us Mr. Jane. You guys just need to lure the killer into going after you guys. As long as you are convincing and make the honeymoon look authentic, you'll be doing just that. When the killer decides to strike, we will be there and we'll have him arrested before anyone gets hurt." Reed said.

"So what do we need to do the 'training' for if all we're doing is luring the killer out?" Lisbon asked.

"Well, we find that when two people who work together go undercover as a couple, they had troubles with their… intimacy." Reed said, getting a bit uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" asked Lisbon, not getting it.

"Especially with an operation like this, where it's crucial that every part of it is believable, we need everything to run without a hitch. But in order to do so, you have to believable when you're intimate with each other" Reed said. He had heard enough about the fiery senior agent to not want to be the one on the receiving end of her fury.

Lisbon still seemed a little lost so Jane decided to clarify.

"He wants the killer to believe that it is a regular occurrence when we kiss." Jane said tentatively. Lisbon seemed to fully understand when Jane said this. Her eyes widened slightly in understanding as well as surprise.

"Among other things" Reed said. This caused both Jane and Lisbon's head to whip around, their faces frozen in shock.

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**I hope you liked it. I realize that there wasn't alot of Lisbon/Jane-ness but bear with me. Please tell me your thoughts, I look forward to reading your reviews *hint hint* :D**


	3. Details

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, you really inspired me to write this chapter and update as soon as I could. I really like this chapter, but I would love to hear your thoughts. So enjoy! :D**

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Scarlet Fever

"_He wants the killer to believe that it is a regular occurrence when we kiss." Jane said tentatively. Lisbon seemed to fully understand when Jane said this. Her eyes widened slightly in understanding as well as surprise. _

"_Among other things" Reed said. This caused both Jane and Lisbon's head to whip around, their faces frozen in shock._

"What?" Lisbon asked, trying to understand what he meant, because there was no way he could mean what she thought he meant could he?

"Since it _**is**_ a honeymoon, and I've already stated that it needs to at least look genuine, you and Mr Jane will have to make it an authentic honeymoon," Reed said.

"You want us to sleep together?" Jane said, quickly regaining his composure.

"Yes, for this operation, it is crucial that you guys sleep together. Newlyweds tend to engage in sexual activities every night, therefore you will too." Reed stated bluntly.

"No. I… NO. That is not happening. I'm not going to have sex with Jane to sell a cover story! Isn't there a rule about that?" Lisbon ranted. She was not going to have sex with Patrick Jane because of a mission. Was that to say that she wouldn't under different circumstances? Well… Wait. She didn't want to sleep with Jane, ever. So she kept telling herself at least.

"The rule is about relationships with other agents, Agent Lisbon. And seeing as Jane is not an agent…." Reed said.

"Is there a problem here?" Agent Gray asked.

"I can't sleep with Jane for this operation." Lisbon said.

"You can, and you will Agent Lisbon. I am your superior in this matter and you will take this as an order." Gray said firmly. "Surely you are able to follow orders?" Gray knew that by questioning the Agent's competency, she was resolving the issue.

"Would sleeping with me really be so bad?" Jane whispered in Lisbon's ear. This caused a shiver to course down her spine, and since Jane was standing right behind her at this point, he didn't miss it. How many times had he dreamed, fantasized of making love to Teresa Lisbon? Too many times to count. But they had both wanted to for the sole purpose of establishing their love for each other, in his dreams. Now, they were being forced into this, they would sleep together for the job and so when they did, it would not be real, it would not count.

xxxx

After Lisbon and Jane had been given all their necessary papers and identification for their mission, they were ushered to the office of Agent Murray. Turns out, Murray and Banks were the ones in charge of their behaviour as newlyweds. It was their job to make sure that Jane and Lisbon were comfortable with being romantic with each other and making it believable.

"I see that you've been informed of some of the more…personal details of the requirements of this operation." Murray stated, grabbing a notebook in order to take some notes. He wanted to make sure to cover everything with these two and make note of their progress, a checklist of sorts.

"You mean the fact that we have to sleep together? Yeah, we've been informed." Lisbon said; she was not happy with this. This was going to be more awkward than a fish out of water.

"Your discomfort is duly noted, my dear Lisbon. Although, it does intrigue me that this bothers you so much." Jane said.

"Well I don't see why you would be so uncomfortable with this," Banks said.

"What?" Lisbon asked. She was a little offended that he would think that she'd have no problem sleeping with Jane for the job.

"Well, aren't you two dating?" Banks asked.

"What? No, why would you think that?" Lisbon said, taken aback.

At this, Banks handed over twenty dollars to Murray, who smiled triumphantly. Murray wrote something down in his notebook reminding him to let everyone else who was betting on Jane and Lisbon's relationship know this new piece of information.

"Now, since you two are not involved in a romantic relationship, this will undoubtedly be a little awkward so we're going to leave for a few minutes, get a cup of coffee, while you two get more… acquainted with each other." Murray said. With that, the two men left the office, leaving Jane and Lisbon in an uncomfortable silence.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Lisbon asked. She hoped that this week would go by fast, but she could tell already that it would be one of the longest weeks since she joined the CBI.

"I think they meant to give us privacy for our 'first kiss', so to speak," Jane responded, shifting his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable. It wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Lisbon, he did very much, but there was no way Lisbon would believe that he meant it. And considering the circumstances, there was no reason to.

"Uh, well then. I guess we should get to it." Lisbon said awkwardly. She had often had fantasies of kissing Jane, but they had never, EVER, included being forced to by her own job. In her fantasies everything was mutual and had gone smoothly, as fantasies usually do. But this would be their first kiss and it was awkward as hell.

Jane could see that Lisbon wasn't going to make the first move and he decided that they couldn't just stare at each other for the entire time that Murray and Banks were gone. He took a few cautious steps until there was barely an arms length between them. He noticed that Lisbon's breathing had quickened and he could practically hear her heart pounding in her chest. He was nervous as well, a million thought running through his head at the speed of light. He was finally going to know what it felt like to kiss Teresa Lisbon. What if she didn't like it? Worse, what if she did? What would they do once this was over? How would they go back to normal after a taste of what could be? How was he going to keep his feelings in check throughout this operation? It had been a long time since either of them had had this form of human contact, what if they had lost their touch? He knew that last one was a little out there but it was the thinking that it had been a long time that had him worried.

He gently raised one of his hands, tucked some of those gorgeous ebony locks behind her ear and rested his hand on her cheek. He stroked her cheekbone with his thumb, trying to sooth her. He very slowly leaned towards her, stretching out the moment for as long as possible. He leaned his forehead against hers, their noses touching but not their lips. Their shallow breaths mixed together, a result of anticipation and years of unresolved sexual tension. Jane looked into her eyes, stalling, and what he found there gave him the courage to seal to gap in between them.

xxxx

Meanwhile, Banks, Murray and Gray were in Hightower's office. Hightower wanted to be filled in on the details of the operation. Gray had given her the case information beforehand but at the time, the operation hadn't been fully put together.

"So Agent Lisbon and Mr Jane will be posing as newlyweds in the hotel and we will have people in various positions keeping them safe. We have someone posing as a waiter in order to keep an eye on them during meal times; someone will be on the activities council to make sure that they are out of harms way during various activities organized by the hotel and someone with room service. Our base will be at one of the hotels that the killer has already hit and that's where we will be monitoring our surveillance." Gray explained.

"Have Agent Lisbon and Mr Jane been told exactly how to manoeuvre themselves in order for it to appear as if they are engaging in sexual intercourse?" Hightower asked. This mission was very important and everything had to go smoothly.

"Er…Well…We only have limited time to put everything in place. There simply is not enough time to train them in that aspect so they are going to actually do it." Agent Gray said awkwardly.

"I somehow doubt that Agent Lisbon would have agreed to that had she known that there was another option," Hightower stated.

"Well, you see, she doesn't know that there is another option. She put up enough fuss as it was and we didn't have the means available to teach them, as everyone was otherwise engaged." Gray said.

"Well then, this should be interesting," Hightower said. "You three may return to your preparations."

When the three agents left, Hightower was deep in thought. She was losing funding everyday; this mission would prove that the Undercover Operations Unit needed said funding, if it was successful at least. She trusted Agent Gray to do her job, and Hightower knew that she would not be disappointed. Agent Gray was very a hard worker and, as this was a male-dominated field, she had worked twice as hard to get where she was. This was something that Agent Gray had in common with Agent Lisbon.

This thought reminded here of the… predicament she had inadvertently put Lisbon in. How could she force Van Pelt and Rigsby to break up or work on different teams when she practically forced Lisbon and Jane into a relationship? The rules were clear; two agents were not allowed to have a romantic relationship if they were on the same team. She then got out her rulebook, to read the exact wording of the rule and as she expected, it did indeed say agents. So, it wasn't technically against the rules…

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**Oohoohoo! How's that for a bit of suspense. heehee. Let me know your thoughts and PLEASE, if you see mistakes, let me know! :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**


	4. Dinner and a Movie

**Hey, everyone. Thanks to whoever reviewed, you know who you are ;) I hope you guys like this chapter, let me know is there's any mistakes or whatnot. Thanks :D**

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Scarlet Fever 

Jane was moving closer to her, seeming almost hesitant but determined. Lisbon could feel her heart hammering sporadically in her chest, and was sure that Jane could hear it. But even if he didn't, her breathing was short and shallow, giving her away. As his hand tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her cheek, Lisbon found herself humming in anticipation. She was finally going to be kissed by Patrick Jane, even if it was against his will. He leaned closer, initiating contact between their foreheads and noses. There were so many thoughts running through her head, she couldn't keep track of them all.

And then he kissed her, finally, and all her thoughts stopped. All she knew was that is felt so good to have his lips moving against hers. She responded almost immediately, not wanting to waste a moment of this sweet torture. She knew that it wasn't real, that he wasn't kissing her because he loved her, she knew he didn't, but because it was crucial to their task. But that didn't matter to her at this moment; all that mattered was moving impossibly closer, deepening the kiss. She traced his lip with her tongue, asking for permission to enter forbidden territory.

Jane felt the pressure of her tongue against his lips, begging for entrance, eliciting a moan from deep in Jane's throat; thus allowing her tongue to slide into his mouth without resistance. It was amazing, Jane couldn't remember feeling this way in so long and it felt so right to be kissing Teresa. He had to get used to calling her Teresa so that he wouldn't slip up while they were undercover, so he decided that he should think of her as Teresa as well.

A soft knock on the door made them jump apart like they'd been burned. Even though they had only done what they had been told to, they both felt guilty that they had enjoyed it so much. They sat down on opposite ends of the couch that was against the wall and waited for Banks and Murray to come in and sit at the desk and chair beside it.

"So I take it, from the way you two are blushing that you did as we recommended?" Banks asked.

"Uh, yeah." Lisbon said, still breathing heavily from the activity she had been engaged in only moments before.

"Well, we feel that there is something important that we should discuss about you two sleeping together for this assignment." Murray said.

"What about it?" Jane asked, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"Well… Agent Gray doesn't think that we have enough time, but there is another option." Banks began.

"What? Why didn't you tell us this before? By all means, tell us what it is and we'll do it." Lisbon said. She was very mad that they had left out this crucial detail. She did not enjoy being treated like, well, like she was being treated right now.

"There is a certain technique that we often use in situations similar to yours, in which we simply fake it. But we don't have anyone available to teach you exactly how it's done, which is why Agent Gray thought it best not to tell you," Murray explained.

"But that's not to say that you two can't spend tonight figuring it out, since you'll be under surveillance in order to ensure that you are up to the task, we can let you guys know if you've got it," Banks said.

"I think that would be great," Lisbon said, relieved that they would be spared the humiliation of being forced to sleep together. Her relief made her forget her anger for the time being, but it was by no means gone.

"I have a question," Jane said. "What are we going to do for clothes? Should we go home and pack some for the week?"

"No, we've already taken care of that. We have a suitcase packed that contains everything you both will need for this operation." Murray said. "And there are some clothes that you can use that are in the room that you will be staying in tonight, so don't worry about that."

"Thanks, so what exactly are we going to be doing tonight while you are… observing us?" Lisbon asked.

"You two will just be acting like a couple, just acting touchy-feely and of course figuring out the alternative that we talked about." Banks answered. "It's pretty simple, really. It shouldn't be too much trouble; it's just to get you in the right frame of mind."

"Okay, well then, shall we get started?" Jane said.

xxxx

Jane and Lisbon found that the room that they would be staying in for the night was very similar to a hotel room. There was a kitchen area, a living area with a couch and TV set and a bed. The only difference was that there were cameras everywhere, it was a bit unnerving. But Lisbon knew that it was just for the purpose of having a flawless cover.

"So what would you like for dinner, honey?" Jane asked, getting right into his persona. "There isn't much selection, but we have leftover pizza or Chinese takeout." He didn't want to think of how long those had been in the mini fridge.

"Whichever hasn't gone bad is fine," Lisbon said with a grin.

"Chinese it is!" Jane exclaimed. He had occasionally shared meals with Lisbon so this wasn't anything new. He had not, however, shared a meal with her when they were supposed to be married.

Lisbon had set the table for two and was getting two beers out of the fridge; there wasn't much else in there. They sat down and started eating as they normally would, making small talk about which hockey team was going to win the Cup this year.

"I know that you have rooted for the Los Angeles Kings since you were young, but they really don't have a shot. The Montreal Canadians are my bet." Jane said with a smile and not just any smile, a genuine smile that was reserved for Lisbon.

"We'll see," Lisbon said cryptically. She was enjoying Jane's company, which wasn't a surprise. They had sometimes had dinner together after work if there was a particularly hard case for either of them.

"Well, I'd offer to do the dishes, but considering we are using plastic utensils and plates, there really is no need." Jane said. They put their 'dishes' in the garbage and they moved over to the couch. Jane sat at the end, leaving plenty of space for Lisbon to sit a comfortable distance from him, but she sat right next to him, curling into his side. The momentarily shocked him, before he remembered that they needed to be more touchy-feely than was their normal, and wrapped his arm around her.

"Is there any movies playing?" Lisbon asked. She was secretly enjoying his arm around her, keeping her safe from whatever was out there, in this case the watchful eye of Gray and her team. This thought made her smile and she quickly composed her thoughts.

"There are a few, The Ugly Truth, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Die Hard. I know you want to watch the Thomas Crown Affair, darling, it's one of your favourites." Jane said. It was also one of his, but he felt he could divulge that little piece of information some other time.

"You know me so well," Lisbon said. She leaned up and pressed a short, tender kiss to his lips before pulling back and settling in to watch the movie. She was curious as to how he knew that this was one of her favourites but she could ask him some other time when they were done with this assignment.

Jane revelled in the feel of her lips for a moment before she pulled away. This really was cruel, giving him a taste of what could have been, only to take it away when he remembered that it was all a front, a show for the audience watching. He watched the movie, occasionally pressing a kiss to her dark hair when he felt the need.

When the credits rolled, Jane turned off the TV and turned Lisbon's face to face his own. He captured her lips and slowly began to move his against hers. Lisbon was not one to relinquish control easily, and she deepened to kiss. It soon became hungry and she moved to straddle him on the couch. She kissed along his jaw, leaving a burning trail all the way to his ear. Once she'd reached her destination, she relented a little with her ministrations.

"Maybe we should try that 'alternative' that Murray was telling us about," Lisbon whispered breathily.

Jane groaned his approval. He picked her up and made his way to the bed, losing articles of clothing on the way. They spent the rest of the night working on their alternative before falling asleep in each other's arms.

xxxx

Gray, Murray and Banks spent that night watching Lisbon and Jane act like a couple. Gray had to admit, they were pretty convincing. They seemed to be good actors, if Hightower ever did go through with her threat on firing Lisbon, she could find a career in Hollywood, Gray thought.

"They seem to be very… comfortable with each other," Gray observed.

"Yes, that they do" Murray agreed.

"Do think they were telling the truth when they said they weren't dating?" Banks asked Murray, he really didn't like losing the bet to him.

"No, I can tell when people are lying, and I can tell you with almost 100% certainty that those two were not lying about their relationship." Murray said.

"They really aren't dating?" Gray asked.

"Really, they aren't." Murray said, ending the conversation.

Underneath the table, Gray slipped Murray ten bucks which Murray took and put in his pocket with a triumphant smile on his face.

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**So... thoughts? Let me know what you think! Remember, reviews = happiness :D**


	5. Road Trip

**Hey everybody! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it! (And a small note to Lucy: Thank you so much, and I understood perfectly) **

**Alas, my fast updating can't continue forever. I'm going to be a little slower from now on, I actually have things to do ;P but I'll update as fast as I can. As usual, I hope you enjoy, and please reivew!**

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Scarlet Fever

It was Monday morning and Jane and Lisbon were in Jane's car, driving to Los Angeles in order to catch their flight. Since their wedding was supposed to be in LA, they had to drive there and then board a plane to Rosemont before arriving at their hotel. They were both anxious to get to the busy airport so they could sweep all this awkwardness under the rug and slip into their easy routine that they had recently picked up. But for now, you could cut the air with a knife it was so thick with tension.

"Teresa, you really need to relax, I'm not going to bite, hard." Jane said with a grin.

"What? I'm relaxed, I'm so relaxed it's a miracle I'm still awake, _Patrick_," Lisbon lied, putting emphasis on his name to let him know that she didn't miss his use of her given name. Their previous day had led to some awkward situations. They had to work on their alternative means of deception. Honestly, how could anyone expect her to focus on selling the story when Patrick's body was surrounding hers, his body like sweet flames against her skin? They eventually got it though; they found their rhythm and a way to move against each other, touching but not quite. It really was no wonder that her body was still humming hours later.

"My dear, it is so clearly obvious from your body language that you are anything but relaxed. You're fidgeting, tapping your fingernails and you can't look me in the eye. Not to mention that you are as sitting as far as is physically possible from me while still in your seat. Really my darling, it's not usually encountered, a woman who doesn't want to be near her husband on their honeymoon. Not unheard of," Jane added with a shrug, "But unusual."

Lisbon noticed the terms of endearment that Jane was using, and found that she liked them, despite herself. She usually did not appreciate being called 'dear' or 'honey' as she was neither an animal nor food. But when Jane said it, it didn't feel patronizing or condescending at all. It felt, well it felt like she was loved. Lisbon, who had not experienced this feeling often, found herself thoroughly enjoying feeling loved.

Jane was indeed making her nervous with all the emotions he was stirring inside her; feelings that she fought everyday to keep down. So she decided to turn the tables on him. She shifted in her seat so that she was right on the edge, facing Jane and started trailing her fingers up and down his arm in lazy patterns. She felt that he needed a healthy dose of his own medicine.

"Is this better?" Lisbon whispered huskily in his ear. To her satisfaction, he noticeably tensed at her sudden move. She could see that she was making him nervous, just as she had been moments ago, just as she was now, if she was being honest.

Jane visibly gulped at her close proximity. He had just been trying to get Lisbon to loosen up a bit, and that is exactly what happened. But, like most of his plans, it wasn't quite what he expected.

"I'm afraid, my dear, that if you don't stop, we may very well end up drifting into oncoming traffic." Jane said with a small chuckle. He could get used to teasing Lisbon whilst driving to a hotel for a break from real life. He could get used to talking to her about anything and everything, just enjoying her company. He could get used to kissing her shamelessly without objection, without resistance, without fear.

But Jane immediately locked down these thoughts for they were drifting into dangerous territory. Who was he kidding? He'd been in dangerous territory the second they sat in the car. It didn't help that she smelled like cinnamon and was wearing casual clothes, a lovely green summer dress that matched her eyes perfectly. His self-restraint astounded him; he was surprised that he hadn't pulled over multiple times to show her exactly what he thought of her ensemble.

"Patrick?" Lisbon asked tentatively, as if she wasn't sure he'd answer.

"Yes, Teresa?" Jane said, curious as to what she could possibly ask that would require the unspoken permission that he'd just given.

"Are you going to be someone else for this trip? I mean not just your name, but are you going to change your personality for this assignment?" Lisbon asked.

"I should think not. If I need to put on a charade, well more of a charade than I normally do, I'll be more likely to mess up, now won't I? And besides, it feels good to let loose once in a while" Jane said, stopping abruptly when he realized what he had just inadvertently revealed.

Lisbon always knew that Jane's cheery façade was just that, a façade, but was shocked to hear him openly admit it. Judging from the way he visibly clammed up, so was he. Lisbon didn't want him to shut her out. She'd been trying to get him to slowly open up to her since her started working with her. If anyone asked, she would simply say that it was only so he'd tell her when he had a plan, he'd let her in on it. But she knew that she just wanted him to be able to confide in her, to find healing in her and in turn, to confide in him. So she decided to share something about herself in return for his slip of the tongue.

"I know what you mean. It's tiring keeping up fronts." Lisbon offered.

"What do you know about fronts?" Jane asked, surprised that the fierce Agent Lisbon who didn't mix professional and personal lives, was willingly giving him a piece of information about herself. "I thought you were more of a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of woman."

"Do you really think that I'm always the cool and collected no-nonsense force of nature that I am on the job?" Lisbon asked with a smile.

"Well… not _all _the time" Jane said sheepishly.

"Well I guess your mentalist abilities need some tuning up then." Lisbon said with a smile. "After work, I love nothing better than just to relax and let loose."

"Well then, I'll have to keep that in mind" Jane said jokingly.

"But if you tell anyone at work what I just told you, I will not hesitate to throw the contents of my office at you." Lisbon said, laughing.

In that moment, Jane thought that there was nothing more lovely than the sound of her laughter. He was practically drowning in her musical care-free laugh. He found himself unable to resist joining in, her laughing proving to be contagious. When their laughter died down, he found himself wondering why she didn't share this playful side of her more often. Only then, did he realize that she did, if only subtly. Her teasing and occasional jokes were her way of letting the repressed side of her character come to light.

For the first time since they had gotten their assignment, Jane was genuinely looking forward to it. It would make for awkward situations during and most certainly afterwards, but he was finally going to get a look into the woman that was Teresa instead of solely Agent Lisbon. He couldn't wait to start. He also wouldn't mind kissing those luscious lips of hers, but that was a different matter all together. Or was it? Weren't they both motivated by his feelings for the tiny woman beside him?

This lead him to thoughts of what she meant to him, and if his feelings would be enough. Would they be enough to make up for his past, for his present, for his future? His past mistakes, the ones that cost him his family, the ones that cost him her patience, the ones that cost him Lisbon's trust time and time again. Would his feelings be enough to make up for his dedication to revenge? And how could they possibly make up for the fact that he was going to break her heart when he killed or was killed by Red John. These thoughts plagued him and he engrossed himself in debates on what was most important to him, Red John or Lisbon for the rest of the car ride.

Lisbon noticed Jane's silence and wondered for a second if she had crossed some sort of boundary, if she had said something wrong. But one glance at him told her everything she needed to know. He was caught up in thoughts of his own and would be for a while. With this in mind, Lisbon retreated into herself as well, thinking of all the reasons she shouldn't be falling for her consultant.

When they arrived at the airport, Lisbon had only succeeded in realizing that all those reasons she shouldn't fall for her consultant, were the very reasons she already had.

xxxx

Jane and Lisbon had arrived in the terminal, and were waiting for them to announce that their plane was boarding. When their wish was finally granted, Jane and Lisbon were deep in debate about which Christmas movie was the greatest.

"Die Hard does not count as a Christmas movie, dear" Jane said.

"For the last time, it does! It is set during Christmas, at a Christmas party no less," Lisbon countered.

"It's about terrorists threatening to blow up a building," Jane insisted. "That is most definitely not the plot of a Christmas movie."

"It reinforces the spirit of family and protection. It shows one man doing whatever it takes to save his wife and others so that everyone can have a Merry Christmas." Lisbon stated.

"You only like it because Bruce Willis is in it." Jane joked.

"He is a great incentive to watch, but I stand by my point." Lisbon said, stubborn as ever.

"All right, you can have this one" Jane said, looking into her eyes lovingly.

As they boarded the plane, Jane was reminded of the fact that despite all the love-filled gazes and stolen kisses, once this week was over, they'd go back to normal; neither one believing that their love for the other was, in fact, reciprocated.

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**So... did you like it? Let me know your thoughts! :D Until next time!**


	6. And So It Begins

**I am back! I'm so sorry for the delay, but I have good excuses! I promise. But I won't bore you with them now. So I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait! Read and review please!**

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Scarlet Fever

Lisbon and Jane walked into the hotel lobby carrying their suitcase with smiles on their faces. Jane's arm was around her waist, pulling her as close as he could while still able to walk straight. Lisbon revelled in the feel of Jane's arm wrapped protectively around her; the irony wasn't lost on her. She was, after all, the one with the gun. Lisbon laughed at this thought and continued towards the check-in counter.

"Welcome to Hotel Scarlet. How may I help you?" asked the cheery girl behind the check-in desk.

"Hello, my wife and I would like to check-in the reservation's under Foster." Jane said, barely looking at the girl as Lisbon had captured his undivided attention.

"You guys have the honeymoon suite on the top floor. Congratulations to you both" She said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you" Lisbon said. She then thought this would be an opportune moment to steal a quick kiss from her 'husband'. It was just a peck, done almost as soon as it started, but it sent shivers through her body nonetheless.

They made their way over to the elevators, Jane's arm still wrapped firmly around Lisbon's tiny waist. He couldn't wait until they got to their room and they could get busy with unpacking their clothes. He hoped that unpacking would give him something to take his mind off of how beautiful Teresa was when she wore casual clothes and allowed herself to laugh and smile more. It took almost all his restraint not to pull her in for a kiss in the middle of the lobby, but he knew that she would most definitely not appreciate that. Even though they had to make it seem like they were happily in love newly weds, he knew that Teresa wouldn't appreciate the public display of affection.

The elevator doors opened, revealing no one inside, so it was just Jane and Lisbon in the confined space. Jane's hand had not once moved from her waist, couldn't he see that he was driving her crazy? As the elevator doors closed, Lisbon experienced the familiar urge to kiss Jane right then and there, but she pushed it down, just as she always did. But then she thought, if they were supposedly married, she could do just that. So without further thought, Lisbon turned in Jane's arms and caressed his face with her hands while brushing her lips against his. She felt his hesitation; obviously she had caught him off guard, and smiled when he deepened the kiss. She felt his tongue exploring her mouth and lost herself in the feeling of him against her.

Jane was just getting into the kiss, when the elevator doors opened, revealing two very startled guests awaiting the elevator. They quickly jumped apart, only to go back to their previous position, with Jane's arm around Lisbon's waist. As the other guests entered the elevator, a heavy, awkward silence fell upon them.

They reached the top floor in just a few minutes; they left the elevator with a quick goodbye and entered their room. Lisbon headed straight to the chest of drawers to unpack their clothes while Jane went out on the balcony to look at the view and examine their room. He was pleasantly surprised by their room, it had a nice, big bed that looked very comfortable, a chest of drawers, a sitting area with a television set, and that was just inside.

Lisbon was almost halfway through unpacking her bag when she heard Jane calling her.

"Teresa, my dear, you just have to come out and see this balcony." Jane said enthusiastically.

"What is so great about the balcony, Patrick?" Lisbon asked, slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

Lisbon walked out the door leading to the balcony and received the answer to her question. The balcony had a table with two chairs looking out at the view, and beside the table was a small heart-shaped hot tub built for two. The balcony had a gorgeous view of the woods behind the hotel; there were no buildings around them, providing them with some privacy.

Jane stepped closer to Lisbon and encircled her tiny waist with his arms. He loved that she relaxed into his touch, like they brought with them some sort of security. She smiled and looked up at him, giving him a quick kiss. Jane deepened the kiss before she could end it, coaxing her lips open so he could taste her. This kiss was gentle and sweet, unlike the kiss they shared in the elevator which had left them both panting and wanting more. This was nice, domestic even.

"What do you say we take a dip in the hot tub?" Jane whispered against her lips.

"We have dinner reservations at the hotel restaurant" Lisbon said, pulling her lips away but staying in his embrace. She liked being held in Jane's arms, the way he held her made her feel safe, protected. It was insane; she was the one with the gun after all! But against all reason she felt safe in his arms, she felt happy with him beside her, she felt loved. Jane was very good at this, pretending to be her husband. Lisbon sighed at that thought; he had been married before, of course he was good at this.

"I'm not that hungry right now. Are you?" Jane said huskily. He just wanted to feel her near him, to hold her and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. He had forgotten how good it felt to hold a woman in his arms, but this wasn't just any woman, this was Lisbon and he wanted to protect her from the world, from their pasts and from their future. But presently, he just wanted to show her how much he loved her and what better place to do it than in a heart-shaped hot tub?

"We have to go, come on and get dressed into something more appropriate for dinner, honey. Then after we're no longer hungry for food, how about we feed this other hunger?" Lisbon said suggestively. She pulled him close so that she could feel her effect on him and so that he knew what she was talking about. They weren't sure if the killer had surveillance set up so Gray's team had set up their own just in case. They'd wanted to be able to react as soon as the killer made his appearance.

"Alright then, I guess I could live with that." Jane said. He grinned and then pulled Lisbon in for another kiss, showing his anticipation for what she'd promised. Of course, he knew that they wouldn't _actually _be doing to help his hunger for her, they would actually worsen it. He hoped that he could hold out until after the mission was over, he knew that Lisbon wouldn't appreciate him jumping her bones, she had made that clear when they first got the assignment.

"Well let's get ready before we miss our reservation." Lisbon said with a smile. She walked over to the chest of drawers and pulled out a satin dress. It was a beautiful shade of green that matched her eyes perfectly, and had halter neckline that dipped a little lower than she would have liked. Lisbon repressed her urge to run into the washroom to change. After all, married couples didn't feel the need to cover themselves in front of their partner. So Lisbon started to undress, unaware of Jane's eyes on her.

Jane found that he couldn't look away as Lisbon arched her back to rid herself of her shirt. The movement revealed her creamy skin that was as smooth as Jane had always imagined. He could stop his legs from carrying him closer to her until he was right behind her.

"Let me help you with that" Jane whispered. She tensed at the feel of his breath against her bare shoulder; it sent shivers all over her body. Despite this, she allowed him to finish removing her shirt, and then gently glide his hands back down her sides in order to help her out of her pants. When his hands undid the button on her pants with a flick of his wrist, she couldn't suppress a moan.

"All in due time my dear." Jane said in response to her moan. "We do have reservations after all." He quickly rid her of her pants as well, running his hands down the sides of her toned legs. He then pulled her dress over her head and did the zipper up. He gave her a kiss on her neck where it met her shoulder and then proceeded to dig out his suit.

xxxx

Jane and Lisbon were seated on the patio where a nice summer breeze was tickling their arms. Jane had ordered for them both, knowing exactly what on the menu had caught Lisbon's eye. Lisbon was slightly annoyed by this; did he _have _to read her like a book? But she didn't show it and in the end, she thought that it was kind of nice that he knew her well enough to be able to do so.

"You're so cute when you're having an internal debate." Jane said, smiling lovingly at her.

"How'd you know…?" Lisbon asked.

"I always know what you're thinking, darling." Jane said with a triumphant smile.

"Oh? And what, exactly, am I thinking right now?" Lisbon said with a teasing grin.

"You're thinking that you wish the food would come faster so that dinner will be over faster, allowing us to return to our room to engage in other, more exciting activities that include…" Jane began.

"Alright! That's enough for the dinner table I think." Lisbon said, embarrassed. She had been thinking that, but she hadn't expected Jane to recite her thoughts for everyone to hear, especially not _those_ thoughts. He didn't think he could just say that and get away with it, did he? Well if he did, he was in for a big surprise. Lisbon decided that if he was going to make her uncomfortable, she would return the favour.

"Teresa, my dear, if you think that you can hide your thoughts from me, you are sorely mistaken. I thought that you would have understood that by know." Jane said with a cheeky grin. "But don't worry, the benefits of this far outweigh the cons."

"Patrick, you know what I think?" Lisbon said in that teasing tone of hers.

"What, my dear?" Jane said, curious as to what was amusing her so.

"I think that you are just saying that because you can't take your hands off me" Lisbon said with a pointed stare at his hand over hers. "So you want me to think that it's all my idea, when in actuality, I just want the food to come faster because I'm hungry. It's not my fault you have difficulty controlling your thoughts around me"

This statement took Jane aback. He was surprised at her boldness to suggest such a thing. If only she knew how true it was, he could never fully control his thoughts around her and often teased Lisbon to deflect the attention from him so as to avoid her notice. But, apparently he was not as successful as he once thought. He would have to work on that.

"My, my, Patrick, I never thought I'd see the day when you were rendered speechless." Lisbon said with a grin. She had won this round and she knew it.

Their food came shortly after and they enjoyed their meal in the quiet summer breeze. They talked about everything and nothing. They exchanged stories of their childhood, of the happier times that they remembered. Since Agent Gray's team didn't come up with a story for their childhoods, they saw no harm in discussing their real ones.

Their meals were delicious and when they were finished, their hunger was completely satisfied. They returned to their room after dinner and both Jane and Lisbon were nervous about their upcoming performance. They couldn't get distracted or else they might mess it all up, and no one wanted to face Hightower's wrath if they did.

It was Lisbon who made the first move. As soon as they were in their room, she pushed Jane against the wall. Before he could say anything, she surrounded his lips with hers in a loving embrace. She soon deepened the kiss, sucking his lips into her mouth. They moved their lips in sweet rhythm; they didn't want this to end. Lisbon then tugged his lower lip between her teeth, teasing him to no end.

Lisbon suddenly pulled away and started to walk away, throwing a triumphant smile over her shoulder. She had left him in need of more, uncomfortable in her absence. She thought this was a fair payback for his behaviour at the beginning of dinner.

Jane however, had different ideas. He was helplessly turned on and he was going to make her suffer with him. They both knew that they wouldn't be getting their sweet release tonight. He caught up to her and backed her up against the bed, taking control of her lips once again. He was capturing her lips again and again and she was helpless to resist, not that she even wanted to.

He trailed his hands up her legs, taking her dress with him. He pulled it over her head as she was hurriedly undoing his shirt. He caressed her soft skin as they rid each other of the barriers between them.

They spent their night moving against each other in all the places but the one they desired most, whispering empty promises of a happy ending.

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**So, what do you think? Do I need to change the rating? I'm still unsure of the lines between ratings so let me know if I've crossed them! :D As always, your opinion matters so please, please, please review :D**


	7. Relieving Tension

**Hi everybody! I have a quickish update for you all! But I'm afraid it can't last, I'm going to be busy this weekend so I wont be able to update :'( But hopefully I'll get another chapter up before I leave :D Once again, thank you to everyone who reviewed! They honestly make my day and inspire me to write more :) I'm not trying to bribe you or anything, but it's the truth. You're going to get a new chapter either way so don't fret :P Okay, on to the main event!**

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Scarlet Fever

Lisbon woke up entangled in Jane's arms. She was resting her head in the crook of his neck and he was holding her tight to him. Jane was still asleep, and there was no way that Lisbon would be able to untangle herself from his vice-like grip, so she relaxed against him and let her mind wander in hopes of sleep finding her once more.

She was happy in Jane's arms, despite her slight discomfort of her body being teased in the worst way. Last night left her body humming in anticipation, she knew that she wouldn't be satisfied, not even close, but apparently her body could not understand that fact. His deceptively strong arms made her feel safe and she wondered how he kept in great shape, he just lied on his couch all day at work. Lisbon wanted to know how he fit it in; she wanted to know his habits and routines. She wanted to know him.

Lisbon lay there and let herself fantasize about a life where she loved Jane freely and he was able to return those feelings. A life where Red John was out of the picture and Jane had found a way to accept his past and move on with her. She fell into a light sleep and dreamed of children with dark brown hair and blue eyes running around in the backyard of a house that she and Jane shared.

Lisbon was smiling in her sleep when Jane woke up. He smiled too, she looked so gorgeous when all the worry and tension left her face. He found himself wishing that he could make her smile like that, that he would be privileged enough to see it everyday. He wanted to be the one she let her guard down with, the one she let herself be happy with, the one she loved.

But his thoughts turned melancholy when he started thinking about reality. She would never love him, he was a broken man. She couldn't love him, she was his boss. She shouldn't love him; he could never give her what she deserves. She deserved so much more than him. She deserved a man with no baggage, who can love her with all his heart. She deserved someone who would take care of her without requiring her to heal his emotional scars. She deserved a man who could protect her from all the evils in the world. Jane had already proven that he was unable to protect the ones he loved.

He then thought of his family, he still loved them dearly. But he found that there was room in his heart for Teresa and that she had already wriggled her way in there. He by no means loved his family any less but he was now able to love Teresa in a slightly different way than he had loved his wife. He could love her in a truer way, now that he knew how the loss of love felt like. This thought cheered him up; maybe he wasn't a lost cause after all.

Lisbon then woke up from her light sleep and saw that Jane was just staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. She decided that they should both wake up now if they were going to go on a morning hike like Agent Gray's team had suggested. She moved around a bit, alerting Jane that she was awake, and gave him a morning kiss. It all felt so domestic, so good.

"Morning sunshine." Jane said with a smile. He really loved waking up to Teresa in the morning as they had for the past few days. Her small body gave him comfort and he liked feeling that she was close to him.

"Good morning Patrick." Lisbon said with a smile of her own.

"And what a good morning it is." Jane said.

"Yes, the weather's really nice." Lisbon said, trying to untangle herself. But Jane only held her tighter and pulled her closer.

"I was talking about the company. I love waking up with you, and I'm unbelievably happy that I get to do so while you're my wife." Jane said. The way he worded it let Lisbon know that he was telling the truth, he was glad that he was sharing a bed with her for the remainder of the assignment. What Lisbon didn't understand by the message was that it was because of her, not just human contact, that he was happy. She merely thought that he missed his wife and liked the feeling of a woman in his arms; she didn't realize how personal this really was.

"Well, I hope you like my company when we're hiking." Lisbon said with a teasing smile. "Now get up and get dressed or we won't be back in time for our couples massage."

xxxx

Their hike took a few hours; it was gorgeous in the woods behind the hotel. They never ran out of things to talk about and Lisbon was surprised that they got along beautifully outside of the office. Even though this was _technically_ work, it didn't feel like it. They kept up their usual banter and had a great time. Jane wasn't as annoying when he wasn't threatening her job; Lisbon actually really enjoyed his company.

They got back to their hotel room muddy and sweaty. They were both in desperate need of a shower.

"Can I have the first shower?" Lisbon asked.

"Nonsense, we are married my darling." Jane said.

"And that means I can't have the first shower?" Lisbon asked, confused.

"Husband and wife usually save water by showering together, honey" Jane whispered softly in her ear. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized that he was right. They didn't want to blow their cover already.

"Right, sorry." Lisbon said shyly.

"Don't worry about it my dear; you're probably a bit dehydrated from our hike. Here, have some water." Jane said, covering up her mistake. He passed her a bottle of water and went into the bathroom, mentally preparing himself for what was to come. What did he get himself into?

Lisbon was a little nervous but it wasn't like he hadn't seen her naked last night. So mentally shook herself and followed him in. She locked the door and turned around to see that Jane had already taken off his shirt and was getting to work on his pants. She walked up to him and helped him out of his pants. She decided that since he had undressed her last night before dinner, the least she could do was return the favour.

"I don't think anyone can see us in here." Jane whispered in her ear. E was so quiet, she barely heard him. She knew that was probably true, but she secretly wanted to do this with him. They wouldn't be able to after the assignment was over and wanted to make the most of it.

"But why take the chance?" Lisbon whispered, just as softly.

She then took off her shirt and pants, leaving her in her sports bra and underwear. They were by no means lingerie, but the way he was looking at her made her feel incredibly sexy and bold. She closed the space between them in two steps kissed him fiercely. She couldn't get enough of him knowing that this was all she had. Hopefully this would be enough to satisfy her desire for him so she could return to normal once this was done. But she knew she wasn't fooling anyone, this would probably only make it worse but right now she didn't care. All that was on her mind was ridding Jane of his clothes and hopping in the shower.

Jane had been terribly on edge all day and he knew that Lisbon had been too. A mere touch or look was enough to spark desire in the other's eyes and the way Lisbon was pulling him into the shower wasn't doing anything to help that. It was getting almost uncomfortable, his need for her. He tried to fill his mind with things that wouldn't allow him to be engrossed by the woman in front of him but everything he thought of morphed in to her.

Lisbon could see that Jane was struggling to keep control over his body and was failing miserably. Lisbon knew that he desperately needed relief just as she did. He had broken their kiss and started washing his torso with soap. She took a minute to enjoy the view and then proceeded to make her offer.

"I can help you with that if you'd like." Lisbon said shyly. Her words may have been innocent enough but Jane understood exactly what she meant. He was touched that she would do that for him, to ease the tension, but he couldn't do that to her.

"No, I'm alright. You don't have to…" Jane stammered.

"I want to." Lisbon said, cutting him off. When she gently stroked him, he forgot all further protests. He allowed himself to get lost in her touch and just enjoy it. She was good at it, he'd give her that.

When she'd finished, he felt great, but he knew that she was still uncomfortably wound up. He didn't know how he was supposed to thank her for that. But then he did have one idea…

"Thank you, but you didn't have to," Jane started.

"Nonsense, my dear," Lisbon said with a knowing smile. "Honestly, it was my pleasure."

"Well, at least let me return the favour." Jane said.

xxxx

After their satisfying shower, they went to their massage. It was heavenly and the emerged from it feeling completely relaxed and happy. It had been a long time since Lisbon had been pampered like that, and to be honest, it had felt amazing. She made a mental note to indulge herself more often.

"I think we should do this more often." Jane said.

"Me too, but I can never find the time." Lisbon said. "Plus it would get expensive if we went too often." On the outside their conversation would be a completely normal one for a couple. But between the lines, Jane and Lisbon were having a real conversation. They just phrased their words carefully so that no one would know that Jane was asking her why she didn't indulge herself in a little pampering now and then.

"You know, I'm actually quite good at giving massages." Jane said.

"Really? You've never mentioned it." Lisbon said. She was slightly taken aback at his hidden offer. She had to admit, his hands on her sounded like a great idea, but she didn't think the offer would still stand after their undercover operation was over.

"It never came up. But you just let me know and I could give you an amazing massage. Any time." Jane said, gazing meaningfully into Lisbon's eyes. Well there was the answer to that question.

Jane often noticed at work that Lisbon carried a lot of tension in her shoulders and he didn't like to see her suffering in any way. Especially when she got hurt while tackling a suspect, he wanted to make it all go away. He hoped that Lisbon would take him up on his offer after their 'honeymoon' was over.

As Jane gazed into Lisbon's eyes, he saw something that surprised him. He could be misreading her, he _has _been wrong before. That must be it; he must be losing his touch. Surely that couldn't be _love_ in those gorgeous eyes?

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**Wow. I personally liked it, how about you? Maybe there will be a happy ending for them after all? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Well, you will. I already know what's going to happen heehee :D**


	8. More Than Words

**Hi everybody! It took me so long to write this, ideas just wouldn't come! But I really wanted to update before I leave so here's what I managed to write. It's not that great, not that long either. Hopefully this will tide you over until I'm back :D Thanks again to everyone who reviewed and put me on story alert, it means a lot to me. :P Enough of my babbling, here you go!**

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Scarlet Fever

The next morning Lisbon woke up in Jane's arms once more. She had grown used to waking up in his arms, it felt almost natural. She felt perfectly at ease and calm in his embrace when she woke up. It took her a few minutes to remember that he didn't love her, they were only pretending. Like always when she thought of this, her heart plummeted. It was like her heart was breaking every second she was with him because she wasn't _with _him. Lisbon had had her fair share of heartbreaks, it took a lot to get her to trust someone and that made her fall all the harder when she did. After all that had happened in her past, she wasn't sure how much more her heart could take.

Jane could tell that something was bothering Lisbon when she woke up. He could see in her eyes that she was dealing with inner turmoil. He desperately wanted her to let him in, to tell him what was bothering her. But he knew that what was bothering her wasn't part of their cover and asking about it would blow the operation. Jane hadn't felt this helpless when it didn't pertain to Red John. He wanted to be the one to make everything bearable for the beautiful woman beside him; he knew that no one could make everything better but if he could find a way to make it bearable… He wasn't sure what he could to or what he was trying to accomplish. Maybe taking her mind off it would help.

Jane decided that he would keep Lisbon busy today, keep her mind busy. He knew that a distraction wouldn't actually help; it would just postpone what ever it was that was bothering her for a while.

"Good morning, my dear." Jane said, kissing Lisbon's temple.

"Good morning." Lisbon said while snuggling further into him. She didn't want to move from their position ever. Although it made her heart ache, it also filled her with happiness. It was confusing and didn't make a whole lot of sense, but so was their relationship. She loved him against all reason and he was unavailable, forever searching for the justice his family never received. But here they were, finding comfort in each other even if it was only pretend.

"We should probably get up." Jane said. He didn't want to move but hadn't Gray mentioned that they needed some sort of routine? But who has a routine on their honeymoon anyway? It was a little ridiculous.

"Or we could just lie here for a while." Lisbon said sleepily. "Just lounge in bed for a few hours."

"That sounds like a great idea." Jane said. He was glad that they were on the same page, they almost always were. Except when it came to his 'plans' to catch the bad guy, and he didn't understand why she was so opposed to them. Sure, they angered a few people, but they got the criminal right? That was all that mattered to him. If he was being honest, he could see the downside to them. They created a lot of paperwork for Lisbon and she went home late enough as it was. So, he had decided that he would tone them down a bit. Maybe that wasn't enough though. He should probably let her in on them, she saw it as an issue of trust but he didn't. He just wanted to protect her, but maybe when it came to these plans of his, she knew how to protect herself better than he could.

They talked about everything that came to their minds that morning. Well, everything that they could talk about without blowing their cover. They talked for a few hours perfectly content to lie in the other's arms. All their previous thoughts completely left their minds and were replaced by how funny the other was, how beautiful they were, how easy it was for them to talk while lying bare of clothes.

"Alas, I think it's time for us to be getting up now." Jane said reluctantly.

"You're right, I guess." Lisbon said.

xxxx

"What should we do today?" Lisbon asked after they'd left the room.

"You, my dear, are in for a small surprise." Jane said, eyes twinkling.

"I am?" Lisbon asked. She couldn't think of anything that he could have done, they'd spent all night together last night.

"Yes you are. This way." Jane said with a devious smile. He had called the front desk while she was still in the shower. Everything had been arranged and okayed.

Jane led Lisbon to the courtyard outside the hotel. When she saw what he'd done, she gasped. She couldn't believe that he'd put this all together for her. How could he know that this was one of her secret pleasures?

"How did you do all this?" Lisbon asked in awe.

"Meh. I know people." Jane said with that triumphant smile of his.

"What people?" Lisbon asked as she snaked her arms around his waist.

"The people at the front desk." Jane said sheepishly. Then he couldn't take it anymore, her being so close to him, so he captured her lips with his and initiated a kiss that wasn't exactly appropriate while out in public. When Lisbon realized this, she pulled away regrettably.

"Thank you. How did you know that I love dancing? I've never mentioned it." Lisbon asked. She gazed around at the courtyard, it had been transformed into a dance floor and there were twinkling lights that weren't on yet since it was the afternoon. There was a sound system that was playing 'More Than Words', their song.

"Remember at that high school reunion we went to? That was when I knew you loved to dance, even if you didn't say so. You were so relaxed and at ease when we were dancing to the songs, this song. I knew you loved it so here we are again, you, me and our song." Jane said with a smile. He'd made sure to phrase everything so that only Lisbon would know what he truly meant and that he was being completely honest with her.

Lisbon didn't know what to say so she held him in a tight embrace and kissed him softly. They then proceeded to dance even though they were the only ones there. It was perfect; they didn't have to put on a show for everyone else since there was no one else there. They just let themselves enjoy the music and each other.

"You didn't actually tell me how you did this." Lisbon whispered against Jane's shoulder.

"There is a dance for the guests tonight. I just persuaded the people font desk to let us come a little early and tell them our song." Jane said.

"Thank you so much for this. I love you so much." Lisbon whispered. "More than you'll ever know."

They continued to dance in silence. Jane contemplated her words, why had she said them if there was no one around. Unless they were true. When Jane considered the look in her eyes from yesterday, this made sense. This realization filled him with such joy, it was indescribable. He hadn't thought that Lisbon, the woman he loved, would ever love him back. He desperately wanted to tell her, show her, how much he loved her but he knew that she wouldn't believe him. They were pretending to be married after all. He would have to wait until after their assignment was over until he could share his feelings with her. Suddenly four days seemed like an eternity.

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**Your thoughts on this would be great! And any thoughts on what else they could to would be welcome, I'm running out of ideas! It doesn't help that I haven't been on a honeymoon so I have no idea what they're supposed to do :S Anyway, please review and I'll update as soon as I can :D**


	9. In Between The Lines

**Okay, I already posted this chapter but I wasn't too happy with it. So I changed a bit of it. But I also added on a part at the end for all of you who have already read this chapter. So I hope that you'll read it, and let me know what you think of it. :D**

Scarlet Fever

Lisbon awoke to feather-light kisses trailed all over her jaw, neck and torso. She blinked her sleepy eyes and was met with the sight of Jane's smiling face. It was a lovely thing to wake up to, and she showed him as much. She met his lips with her own, giving his lips a new target. She kissed him hungrily, reminding them both that their activities last night had left them begging for more. She flipped them over and moved to straddle Jane when he pulled away. He stroked her hair, brushing it away from her face as she gazed down at him. As she looked into his eyes, Lisbon saw such unguarded emotion that she was momentarily stunned. He didn't normally let her see him, all of him, in this way and she found herself liking it. She could see his desire, his want, his reluctance, his grief, his love. She didn't know what fuelled these emotions and naturally assumed that his body was reacting to hers but he didn't want her, he wanted his wife, hence the reluctance, grief and love. This is why she moved to get off of him, she couldn't take anymore of this, she wanted him, yes, but she wanted all of him. She wanted him to love her and put her first. But she knew that wouldn't happen so she got a hold of herself and went into the bathroom.

When Jane opened himself up, he saw that she had misunderstood what he was trying to show her. He had been trying to wordlessly convey his love for her, but she thought that the love he showed was for his wife. He did love his wife, but being with Lisbon this week had forced him to think about things he normally pushed aside. He knew that he would never stop loving his wife, but he also knew that the way he loved Lisbon was different but by no means less powerful. He just had to find a way to show her that.

Jane followed Lisbon into the bathroom, kissing her shoulder to let her know he was behind her. She was going to have a shower and he decided that the shower would probably be a good place to talk, considering all the noise it made. He thought that if they whispered, maybe they could finally voice their feelings and have a real conversation, no pretences or walls to hide behind. It was a good idea…in theory.

"Teresa, I think we need to talk, about things, important things." Jane said. He was having trouble keeping his hands off of her under the spray of the shower and had encircled her waist with his arms while kissing her neck.

"Not now Patrick, please." Lisbon said. She didn't want him poking around her brain; it was messy enough as it was. She could barely control herself with him standing so close, peppering her neck with kisses from behind.

"But this is the only place we can talk, for real." Jane whispered against her skin. "There are so many things we need to say, so many things you need to hear."

"I can't, I can't deal with this right now. Not now." Lisbon said. She didn't want to hear him confront her about what she'd said to him the day before, and she didn't want to lie about loving him. She knew that she would have to, she wasn't going to burden the married man, but she was selfish and wanted to push it off until a later date.

Lisbon washed her hair and her body as fast as she could. She'd meant it when she said she loved him and one look in his eyes told her that he knew. Now everything was ruined, why did she say it? Why had she been so stupid? He was still married to his wife in every way that counted and she was just his boss. She didn't even want to think about what going into work everyday would be like. She'd made such a fool out of herself.

Jane was surprised by Lisbon's actions, hurrying through her shower and practically running away from him. When she'd looked in his eyes right before she left, he could see that she was embarrassed and ashamed. He could see that she knew that he knew she loved him but he could also see that she thought that was a very bad thing. He knew that he wouldn't get another chance during this assignment to talk to her about it and she would avoid him as best she could afterwards. He needed a plan, and normally he was a master of making plans. But Lisbon had a way of messing up his thoughts, he couldn't think straight when it came to her and he didn't want to mess it up anymore than he already had.

xxxx

Lisbon was lying on a towel next to Jane on the beach. Their earlier argument of sorts still weighed heavily on their shoulders but neither made the move to confront the issue. Instead, they both put on a smiling face and acted as if it was alright, not fooling the other, much less themselves. Lisbon knew that she'd have to talk to Jane about it sometime but she desperately hoped that that sometime would be far, far away. She needed to think of an excuse for her words, for her behaviour. But a part of her didn't want to have to lie, a part of her just wanted to tell him and have him love her back. It was silly, but that part of her kept her from coming up with excuses to be prepared with.

Jane looked over at Lisbon, she was reading a book and looked completely enraptured by it but Jane knew better. He knew that she was using it as a shield, that she was very guarded right now. But they were at a beach for crying out loud! He decided to make it his personal mission for that day to cheer her up and get her to relax. And what was more relaxing than a swim in the lake?

Lisbon looked up from her book and saw that Jane was no longer at her side. She was slightly alarmed when she realized she had no clue where he could have gone but her alarm was suddenly elevated when she felt two strong arms lifting her off the ground. She let out a very un-Lisbon-like yelp and turned her head to see her attacker. She was met with Jane's smiling face merely an inch from her own. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then before she knew what was happening, he was running into the water. She squealed with delight when the waves washed over her body. She absolutely loved the water and Jane knew that it would cheer her up. She let herself forget about their morning for the time being and simply enjoyed swimming with Jane.

"That's better." Jane said with a triumphant smile.

"What's better?" Lisbon asked.

"You're smiling again." Jane said. "I'm sorry about this morning; I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's alright; let's just forget about it, okay?" Lisbon said. Then she saw the disappointment in Jane's eyes and she added "For now at least."

"Sounds good to me." Jane said, splashing her with water.

"Patrick?" Lisbon asked tentatively.

"Yes sweetheart?" Jane answered.

"Have you thought about what happens after our stay here?" Lisbon asked. She was careful to phrase her question so that only Jane would know what she meant.

"I have, yes." Jane answered. "But I haven't thought of any scenario that I like."

"Why not?" Lisbon asked, curious. Jane leaned towards Lisbon and kissed her neck.

"Because in none of them am I able to do this." Jane whispered. He quickly captured her lips in a heated kiss before she could respond. He wanted her to think over what he said so he decided a change of topic, or rather activity, would allow her to do so. He licked her bottom lip with his tongue, tracing the outline and begged for entrance to her delicious mouth. She gave it without a second's thought, kissing him back greedily.

Lisbon was distracted by the kiss for the time being; it felt more real than any of the kisses they had shared so far. But Lisbon was confused at his words, what was he doing? She didn't like him messing with her feelings and that was exactly what he was doing. She knew that he didn't love her, their moment this morning before she bolted for the bathroom showed her that much. Then why was he saying such things? Why was he pulling her heart in every direction, forcing it to bend and break? She desperately wished that he would just stop his games and let her get back to avoiding and denying her feelings for him.

"We should probably head back." Lisbon said, breaking the kiss. "We don't want to be late for dinner."

One look in Lisbon's eyes told Jane that he hadn't fixed anything; in fact, he had just made it worse. How could he have been so stupid, thinking that a kiss would make it all better? He knew that there was no way that she was going to believe him here, when every word that left his lips had double-meaning. He would have to be patient with her and settle for talking to her straight out when everything was over and done with. It pained him to see her confusion, hurt, and longing in her eyes. But he needed to keep their cover so he put a smile on his face and acted like he wasn't breaking the heart of the woman he loved, cherished, adored.

"I'm tempted to skip dinner and go straight for dessert." Jane said, going in for another kiss. This earned a playful slap on the arm from Lisbon but she kissed him back with fervour.

"As great as that sounds, we really have to go to dinner. We're going to a nice restaurant tonight, we have reservations and everything." Lisbon said.

"Well, let's just hope you still have room for dessert. I do love my dessert." Jane said.

xxxx

In the woods beside the beach there was a cabin. In this cabin was an angry woman with the most up-to-date surveillance equipment set up watching the darling couple from afar. She had an undetectable camera in every place the couple had been or were going to go. She was currently watching the couple using his high-tech binoculars since she didn't have a camera focusing on the lake. She was far enough away that she could only see the newly-weds having a great time on the beach, teasing and playing with each other. She didn't see their eyes, those eyes that were filled with conflicting emotions that would give them away. No, she thought that she had found her perfect target.

She may have missed the signs revealing that the couple in question weren't newly-weds at all, but she did not miss the movements of Agent Gray's team. She knew that the CBI was watching the couple to try to protect them and bring her to justice. She laughed at how they thought they had the upper hand in this. They wouldn't catch her; she would make sure of that. It was inconvenient but she would have to change her strategy and strike when the CBI wasn't expecting it. Yes, she was looking forward to killing this couple, and since she was already changing the timing of her plan, why not make it interesting?

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**So, I like it better, how about you? I realized that I should probably get back to the whole serial killer aspect of the story (after some lovely reviewers mentioned it :p) so thanks to everyone who reviewed this chapter before I re-did it :S But yes, thanks. And please review this new and improved chapter. :D**


	10. Dinner Gone Wrong

**Okay, so I redid the last chapter since I first posted it so I strongly recomend that you go reread it if you haven't already. And let me know what you thought of it :) Now, this one is short, sorry. But I really wanted to leave this at the point that I did, you'll see what I mean when you read it :) And school starts tomorrow! Wish me luck, I have an unfortunate semester :( But you know what will make up for it? REVIEWS! :D Now, enough of my rambling, on with the story!**

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Scarlet Fever

Jane and Lisbon arrived at a restaurant about ten or twenty minutes from the hotel. They we dressed to the nines, Lisbon in a very flattering red dress and Jane in a nice tuxedo. They were shown to their seats by the hostess and were given the menus.

"Do you know what you're going to have?" Lisbon asked. She wasn't sure what to have, it all looked so good.

"Yes, I know what I'm going to have, and I know what you're going to have." Jane said with a wink.

"How do you know what I'm going to have when _I _don't even know what I'm going to have?" Lisbon asked. She knew that Jane's mind games weren't all bad, they caught the criminals and such, but it was annoying when he used them on her.

"Well, you like to be adventurous when you are familiar with the menu, but since you've never been here before, you're going to stick with what you know. So you'll order the Chicken Parmesan." Jane finished with a smile. Whenever he guessed something correctly or figured out some big secret, he always got the same smile, but this smile wasn't his trademark triumphant one, it was simply a caring smile that Lisbon wasn't used to seeing in this situation. Well, not the dinner situation, she'd never gone to dinner with Jane outside of this assignment. She usually saw this smile when there was a moment when they were alone and he tried to cheer her up or they were engaging in playful banter. She liked to think that he reserved this smile for her, it probably wasn't true but she liked to think so.

"Well since you know what I'm going to order, how about you order for us while I slip to the ladies' room?" Lisbon said with a smile of her own.

"Hurry back, I'll miss you." Jane said while taking her hand in his and squeezing it before letting go.

xxxx

Lisbon found herself smiling as she fixed her hair in the bathroom mirror. She just couldn't help herself; Jane was just too sweet sometimes. She was slightly on edge, the serial killer was supposed to attack anytime, but at least they would be at the hotel surrounded by the safety of Agent Gray's team. So Lisbon allowed herself to relax tonight. She didn't think anything of the woman next to her. She was completely caught up in her own thoughts.

"Just married?" asked the woman beside her.

"Is it that obvious?" Lisbon asked, still unable to wipe the smile from her face.

"You can always spot the newly-weds." The woman said with a smile.

The woman left the washroom and Lisbon let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She didn't like always having to think about what to say so as not to slip up. She couldn't wait until she could speak freely and be herself, Teresa Lisbon again.

Although she would miss the time she spent with Jane, all the lingering touches and stolen kisses. But she would just have to satisfy herself with the memories. Her favourite being when they danced to their song. Simply thinking about it had her smiling.

Lisbon was humming their song on her way back to their table. Just passed the kitchen and back door, she felt something hard connect with the back of her head. She only felt the excruciating pain for a few seconds before her world went black.

xxxx

It had been a good ten minutes since Lisbon had gone to the washroom. Jane knew that while some women spent forever doing their business, Lisbon liked to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. He liked to think his charming company might have something to do with that. Jane decided it was his duty as her 'husband' to check on her and make sure she was alright.

Jane got up from the table, making his way to the back of the restaurant. He was desperately hoping that he would run into her on her way back, he would never admit it but he was a little, he wouldn't say afraid, but unnerved by women's washrooms. Seriously, what could they possibly spend so much time in there doing? He really didn't want to have to go in looking for her.

"Teresa!" Jane yelled.

His worries about going into the ladies' room were quickly forgotten and replaced with worry for Lisbon's well being when he saw her lying on the ground, face-down with a gash on the back of her head dripping a trail of blood to the floor. He ran over to her, checking for a pulse. He was relieved when he found one, albeit weak, pulse.

"Don't move." A female voice said. Jane felt the barrel of a gun against the back of his head. If he were to guess, he would say it was the same gun used to kill the other victims of the serial killer they were trying to lure out. Well, they seemed to have managed that now, hadn't they? But Jane knew that Agent Gray's team weren't prepared for the killer breaking her MO and attacking at the restaurant.

"Get up. We're going to go for a little drive." said the woman. She motioned to a third party who emerged from the shadows, making themselves known for the first time, to pick up Lisbon and bring her outside. Jane was led to the parking lot and into the back of a van before being knocked out.

"Hurry, we need to make sure that we get far away before the CBI noticed they're missing." The woman's accomplice said.

"Don't tell me what to do, you are not in charge here, you are merely my brother helping me out." The woman said.

"I've already told you that these two are not who you think they are. They are not newly-weds although they do love each other. And I have a particular interest in the man, Patrick Jane. So we are doing this my way, I am in charge and you are simply coming along for the ride." The man said with a cold voice.

"Alright, sorry John." The woman said, fearful that he would turn his rage on her.

"Good. Let's leave now." Said John. And so they left, leaving nothing but a red smiley in their wake.

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**Woah, I just changed the game there! Too much? Let me know! :D Until next time, which is hopefully later today ;) So review please pretty please!**


	11. Captive

**Thank goodness for half-days! I don't have to go into school until 12 today so I've managed to complete this chapter and post it up for you all! My back-to-school present for you all. This is the longest chapter I've written for this story :D And I think it's pretty good too. Heehee. Well, you'll just have to let me know if you agree with me or not :D Enjoy!**

Scarlet Fever

Lisbon awoke from her unconscious state with a throbbing in the back of her head. She went to feel the damage with her hand, but found it tied to the other behind her back. She groaned as she manoeuvred herself into a sitting position. She thought back to what had happened, she'd left Jane at the dinner table to go to the washroom and then she'd been knocked out. Jane! Oh no, what had happened to him? Where was he? Lisbon looked around the small room frantically.

She spotted him in a heap at the other side of the room. First she felt relief that he was there with her and not dead, but then she realized that he was hurt and that they probably wouldn't make it out of this alive. There were no windows and only one door, presumably locked. She managed to stand herself up and hobbled over to the door. She turned her back to it and found the doorknob with her hands and twisted it, only to find that it was indeed locked from the outside.

After several more failed attempts, Lisbon noticed that Jane was waking up. She limped over to him and sat down beside him. She desperately wanted to run her hand through his curls to comfort him, but since her hands were bound behind her back, she could do no such thing.

"Teresa!" Jane exclaimed. "Are you okay? What happened? I just went to see if you were on your way and then I see you on the ground and then some lady puts a gun to my head and tells me to walk to the parking lot and some guy, from the way they interacted I'd say they're siblings, picks you up and put you in the van and then nothing." Jane was rushing to get his words out. He was trying to understand what had happened, the killer shouldn't have attacked them in the restaurant, they weren't even at the hotel!

"I went to the washroom, and then I fixed my hair. A lady came up beside me, asked if we were newly-weds. I said yeah, she left. I left shortly after and then someone hit me from behind." Lisbon said in a hushed tone. She had noticed two cameras on opposite walls and she didn't know if they included microphones. "We're being watched."

"That we are. Hmm. Now what are we going to do about that?" Jane wondered out loud. As he contemplated potential escape plans, Lisbon set her sights on another escape of sorts. Jane looked over at her to see that she'd somehow managed to get her hands in front of her instead of behind her. "Lisbon how did you do that?"

"You remember how Grace got me a yoga mat for my birthday a few years ago? Well I've been using it ever since." Lisbon said. She moved behind Jane to untie his hands, they were bound by intricate knots but Lisbon had always been good with knots.

"Well, that's one way to use your flexibility, not the most fun but useful." Jane muttered.

"Really Jane? Now? You really want to talk about fun ways to use my flexibility now?" Lisbon said. Normally, she'd be trying to suppress a smile at his comment but considering they were trapped in a small room being watched by a serial killer, she wasn't laughing. She finally untied the knot and Jane's hands were free. "Now would you please untie me?"

"Yeah sure thing. Sorry Teresa." Jane said. It took him a little longer to untie Lisbon's hands but he got it after a few minutes. Before se could move away, he surrounded her in a hug. "I was so worried! When I saw you on the ground, it was like my family all over again. I never want to feel that way again, I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me. We're going to get out of this alive and together. The good news is you can pull whatever stunt you think will work without having them sue the CBI or issue a formal complaint." Lisbon said with a chuckle.

The sound of the door opening and slamming shut broke them from their embrace. They looked up to see the woman who had captured them entering the room. They were momentarily shocked; she was wearing a bright smile on her face. Lisbon immediately recognized the woman as the one who had approached her in the washroom. She didn't have an intimidating appearance; she had a short stature and a petite frame. But both Lisbon and Jane knew that appearances could be deceiving.

"Well look at you two! You're all dressed up with nowhere to go. But your clothes are dirty; let me fix that for you." The woman said with a smile. "Give them to me and I'll see it we can't find some clothes for you two to wear while I wash them."

"Um, why?" Lisbon asked. Of all the scenarios she's imagined, this had not been one of them.

"Well they're dirty and I'm sure you don't want to be stuck in dirty. How about you guys change out of your clothes while I find some clean ones? That way you'll be more comfortable changing." The woman said.

"That's awful nice of you, but that's not what she meant. You see Teresa here is wondering why you aren't killing us right away." Jane said, trying to work his charm on this woman.

"Oh, well I have no reason to kill you. You see, my brother kindly pointed out to me that you aren't newly-weds you're not even married! So I have no vendetta against you, no reason to kill you." The woman said cheerfully.

"So then why are we here, um…? What did you say your name was?" Jane said.

"Rose. My name's Rose. And I may not want to harm you, but my brother does." Rose said. "Now I'm going to find some clothes and you two get changed, I see you've managed to get out of your bindings, very good." With that, she left, leaving Jane and Lisbon both very confused.

"What just happened?" Lisbon asked.

"I'm not entirely sure but I do know one thing. That woman is dangerous, but only when her trigger is provoked. And it seems that we did not provoke it." Jane said.

"Then I guess we have her brother to thank for our lives?" Lisbon said tentatively.

"I'm not so sure about that, she said that he wanted to hurt us. And I'm not sure that's any better." Jane replied.

"Right. So what should we do now?" Lisbon asked. She'd been prepared for many hostage/kidnapping situations thanks to her police training but this one wasn't covered.

"Well I don't think we should aggravate Rose, she's clearly unstable so I think we should do what she said." Jane responded. With that, he removed his jacket and shirt along with his bowtie and pants. Lisbon was shocked and just stared at him. He looked really funny in just his socks and underwear. Then she came to her senses and slipped her dress over her head.

"It's cold in here." Lisbon said. She was shivering. Jane noticed this and walking over to her, rubbing her arms up and down to try to warm her up. Jane felt so bad, hadn't he said many times that he would always save her? But there they were, and no one knew where to find them.

"Oh good, you two are ready." Rose said. True to her word, she'd brought two pairs of jeans and two sweaters for them. "Here you go."

They quickly put on the clothes she gave them, grateful for some warmth. They didn't move away from each other, both preferring to stay close to one another and the comfort it brought them.

"Now that you both are presentable, my brother really wants to chat with you." Rose said with a smile. "John! They're ready!" She called out the door.

A sense of dread filled Jane and Lisbon when they heard that. They knew that it couldn't be a coincidence, and they knew that they wouldn't make it out of this in one piece. Even if one of them managed to escape, they would be broken because there was no way that both of them would be left alive.

"Well, well, well. Mister Jane and Dear Teresa, what do we have here? I thought that you would have learned your lesson Patrick, after our previous encounters. But it seems that your foolishness cannot be taught." Said a man who was entering. There was a cold darkness in his eyes, but that was the only thing that made him anything other than ordinary looking. "I thought I had made it clear that you did not deserve to have someone to love. I thought I had made it clear that you were undeserving of anyone's affection. Why then, did you feel the need to put dear Teresa Lisbon in harms way simply so you could love her? Such foolishness. Well, let's see if it cannot be fixed."

"This had nothing to do with Teresa. Let her go and I'll do whatever you want. Please, just don't hurt her." Jane begged. He'd never thought he'd beg Red John for anything when he came face to face with him, but Teresa proved to be more important than his need for revenge.

At this, Red John laughed. It wasn't a humorous laugh far from it. It was the laugh of someone who had a cold, sadistic heart. It was the laugh of someone too troubled to have ever known love or happiness. It was the laugh of the one who would make sure Patrick Jane never knew these things ever again.

"How sweet. Tempting, I'm sure, but I'll have to decline your offer. Now, on to the main event." Red John said. He pulled a knife concealed at his waist and grabbed Lisbon before anyone had time to react. He held her against him, the knife pressed to her throat.

"Don't move Patrick, or we'll have to kill Teresa a little prematurely. You wouldn't to do that now, would you?"

"Let her go. Now." Jane said, he was shaking with fury but he didn't dare move for fear of hurting Lisbon.

"No, I don't think I will." Red John said. He ran his hand that was not holding the knife down her side and then back up again. "Such a pretty little thing, it'd be a shame to waste such beauty."

"You don't rape your victims." Lisbon said. She was scared out of her mind but she'd be damned if she showed it. Forever the strong one, cool and collected. She knew that this would end badly for her, but however badly it was for her it would be a thousand times worse for Jane. And if her being strong for him made it slightly easier, then she'd do it tenfold.

"I also don't kidnap them and keep them in a basement. But here we are." Red John said with a smirk. He continues trailing his hand along her body, moving to intimate places on her body. This sent shivers of disgust down her spine but Lisbon suppressed a shudder. He then suddenly released her and backed away, leaving them in the room by themselves.

"Are you alright Teresa? Did he hurt you? Did the knife nick your neck? I'm going to get us out of here, don't you worry, I will." Jane said frantically.

"Don't go all Han Solo on me." Lisbon said with a smile.

"If I'm Han Solo, who does that make you? Princess Leia?" Jane said with a smirk of his own. His smirk didn't mask the concern in his eyes though, as hard as he tried.

"I prefer to think of myself as Yoda. He's small but he kicks butt." Lisbon said.

"Yes, I think Yoda would be a better fit." Jane said. "About the things that Red John said…"

"Don't worry Jane; I know he's just trying to rile you up. It didn't mean anything." Lisbon said, trying to comfort him.

"He wasn't just trying to rile me up, when he said I loved you." Jane said sombrely. This might be his last chance to tell Teresa that he loved her and he wasn't going to give it up.

"So just because Red John says it, that makes it true?" Lisbon yelled. She didn't like the effect that Red John had on him and she didn't like that Jane seemed to have given up.

"No. But this does." Jane said. He pulled her into a kiss, trying to make her understand what he couldn't say with words. He moved his lips delicately over hers, as if he was afraid to break her. He pulled away when he didn't get a reaction, only to have Lisbon yank his lips back to her own to engage in a hungry kiss. She may have had doubts before but she wasn't letting Red John win, not this time. Her tongue begged for entrance against his mouth and his lips parted in sweet surrender. She ran her fingers through those luxurious golden curled of his. He held her close, his arms around her waist. He pulled away gently and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you so much Teresa, more than I ever thought possible. I'm not going to let him take you away from me when I've only just found you." Jane whispered against her lips.

"Patrick, I…" Lisbon started.

"I know." Jane said. He didn't want to speak right now. He'd said all he needed her to hear and all he wanted to listen to was the sound of her breathing, healthy and alive.

"How sweet. The lovebirds profess their undying love for each other. It's too bad really, that you have to die. But, 'tis the ways of the world." Red John sneered. He had entered the room without them noticing and was leaning against the wall, knife in hand. He didn't seem wary of them not being restrained in any way. He had even left the door open, confident that they would be unable to get through him.

And that was Red John's second mistake.

They broke apart, glaring at Red John. Lisbon shuffled to the side, but Red John only had eyes for Jane. Lisbon charged at him, tackling him to the ground as she did with suspects. He quickly flipped them over, gaining the upper hand and wielded the blade, prepared to strike. Red John didn't count on Jane reacting so quickly and the knife was out of his hand as Jane snatched it away. Red John was not usually surprised but he seemed to be experiencing it a lot today and Lisbon used this to her advantage. She rolled them over and managed to flip Red John onto his back. She grabbed his hands and held them together while pinning him to the ground. She took out her handcuffs and attached them to Red John. When she had him secured, she yanked him off the ground and walked him out of the room.

"Patrick, go find a phone and call Agent Gray and her team. Let them know our location and that we have the identity of their serial killer. Check to see if she's still here and then see what you can do to keep her here." Lisbon said, easily switching into work mode.

"Just one thing Teresa." Jane said.

"What?" Lisbon asked.

"Where could you have possibly hidden those handcuffs?" Jane said with a grin.

"If you're lucky, maybe I'll show you someday." Lisbon said with a saucy grin over her shoulder. This left Jane bushing as he hurried to find a phone and to find Rose.

"Red John, you are under arrest for murder, kidnapping, assault on a federal officer, attempted murder and for being a sadistic son of a bitch." Lisbon said. "You have the right to remain silent…"

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**Yay! I liked this chapter :D I don't know about you, so why don't you hit the review button and let me know? There's still another chapter (at least) so this ride's not over just yet. Let me know if you thought it was OOC, I wasn't too sure about how I did on that note. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, put this story on alert, or favourites, or put me on alert or favourites. It means a lot to me so thanks :D So hit that review button and tell me how wonderful I am! :p I'm just joking, but seriously, review. :D**


	12. Always, In All Ways

**Finally, another chapter! I'm sorry that it took so long, but what with school and dance starting back up... well, it was a little busy to say the least. But I survived! Yay! So you guys all survived another week of school or work or what ever it is that you do during the week. And here is your reward :p As always, I hope you enjoy it and let me know your thoughts! :D**

Scarlet Fever

Lisbon watched Red John carefully as Jane left to phone Agent Gray and her team. She was so glad this was over, and it seemed Jane had rethought the whole revenge plan. Lisbon wondered what this meant for them. Jane had shown her that he loved her and, against her better judgement, she believed him. When he didn't attack Red John, this proved to her that she didn't make a mistake in trusting him. So what were they going to do after they got back to normal? Would they date? She didn't think that 'boyfriend' was the correct term for Jane.

While Lisbon was contemplating this, Red John had gotten out of the handcuffs. He jumped at her, and he tackled her to the ground. He was stronger than she was and he had the upper hand.

"You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" Red John hissed in her ear.

"Wha…?" Lisbon started, but she was cut off by his sweaty hand slapping over her mouth.

"This was all a part of my plan you see. Once again, Jane will return to find that he failed to protect his loved ones. Do you think he will survive this, when he loves you more than he even loved his wife? I don't think so. It will kill him; he will suffer more than before. He will be driven with greater force by revenge. Just. Like. Me." Red John taunted her.

Red John moved to straddle Lisbon on the ground. For a second she thought he would drag out her murder like all his previous victims before she saw that he didn't have a knife. His knife was all the way in the next room, there was no way that Red John would be able to grab it without releasing Lisbon, giving her the chance to get away. She hoped that this meant that her death would be quick.

Red Johns hands enclosed around her throat, squeezing until she couldn't breathe. She hoped that Jane was still on the phone, it was bad enough that Red John was killing her but if Jane had to watch her die… well Lisbon just prayed that he'd stay far away. Her next thought was that she was getting her previous wish; it would be over soon enough.

Red John was watching the life drain from her eyes. He knew that she thought that she was getting a fast death. But he had taken a vow: no death by his hand would ever be quick and painless. He released enough pressure from her throat to allow her one shallow, ragged breath before continuing to choke her. He was going to take his sweet time taking her life, this would take all day if he had that long.

Lisbon realized what Red John was doing, he was torturing her. All hopes of a quick death were erased from her mind and all she could focus on was Patrick Jane. Patrick Jane who was a pain in the ass consultant, causing her trouble at every turn. Patrick Jane who always betrayed her trust, going behind her back for his schemes. Patrick Jane who made her love him for all these reasons and more. Patrick Jane who had better keep his sorry ass in the other room if he knew what was good for him.

Just when Lisbon was sure she was going to die right then and here, she heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rip through the air and she felt Red Johns hands go slack around her throat. She gasped for air, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't get enough. She couldn't even piece together what happened; all she knew was that her new favourite sound was that of a gun being fired.

Jane ran to her side, caressing her cheek and turning her head to face him. She saw the fear, love and relief on his face when he saw that she was alive. She also saw Grace holstering her weapon and Rigsby on the phone calling paramedics. She tried to talk, to ask the burning question on her mind, but found that her throat hurt too much for her to be successful. But it appeared as though the question was burning in her eyes as well, for Jane immediately understood what she desperately needed to know.

"I called Grace and Rigsby right after I called Agent Gray's team. They were in this city on their vacation, just about to return to Sacramento actually. Red John must have known it would kill them to know that he'd taken our lives when they were in the same city so he brought us here. It's a good thing I caught them when I did. I told them we had Red John in our custody and they rushed right over. It must have taken them five minutes to get here. In that time I called Hightower to let her know that we had Red John and when they got here we saw him. On top of you. Choking you." Jane's eyes had tears in them at this point. "I thought I'd lost you, I was so scared. Grace wasn't sure what to do; she knew about my quest for revenge and thought that I needed to kill him. But she didn't want me to, so I let screamed at her to take the damn shot before you died. I was so scared." Jane whispered in her ear. He pulled her into a tight embrace, afraid to relinquish his hold, afraid that at any moment she'd be gone. She must have been too low on oxygen to hear any of this when it happened, but she was glad that she'd been.

The paramedics arrived a few minutes after that to find Jane still holding on to Lisbon for dear life. The managed to pry Jane off of her, but he didn't go far. He accompanied her in the ambulance, whispering apologies and affections to her the whole way. Grace and Rigsby stayed behind to make arrangements for the crime scene to be processed and Red John's' body to be taken care of. They also kept an eye on Rose until Agent Gray and her team arrived.

When they did, they took Rose back to the CBI. Grace and Rigsby stayed at the scene, inspecting the scene as CBI agents do. They had already secured the building when Jane was cradling Lisbon. Grace thought that it was sweet that they had finally given into their feelings for each other. Rigsby hadn't seen this coming; he only noticed the gorgeous red-head to his right. He wanted Lisbon and Jane to find happiness just as much as the next guy, but he didn't think they'd find it in each other. Just then, Rigsby's phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Rigsby." He answered.

"It's Agent Hightower. I need you and Van Pelt to come back to CBI now. We need to make sure that your statements are in and we need the Red John case to be wrapped up for good." Hightower said. "Don't let Red John out of your sight."

"Will do." Rigsby said. "But Red John is dead."

"Don't tell me Jane killed him, I swear Lisbon needs to control him!" She seethed.

"First of all, Jane didn't kill him, Grace did. He was strangling Lisbon and Jane told Grace to take the shot, which she did, saving Lisbon's life. Lisbon is currently on her way to the hospital and she has more control over Jane than anyone has or ever will have. You'd think that you'd treat your top agent a little better. You are lucky to have her as an agent and now she's in the hospital, not knowing that you value her position at the CBI." Rigsby ranted. He'd had enough with Hightower unfairly threatening Lisbon's job in hopes of keeping Jane in line. He hung up on her before he said something he'd regret.

"I've been waiting for so long for someone to put Hightower in her place." Grace said. "Good for you, Wayne."

"Thanks." He said with a giant smile. Today was a good day, Red John was done, and no one on their team was dead. "We need to head back to the CBI to give our statements."

"Okay, let's go then." Grace said. Once they were in the car, she kissed Wayne on the lips.

"I know you don't like killing anyone, but you did what was right." Wayne said, sensing her discomfort.

"Taking a life always hurts, even if it is that of a serial killer." Grace admitted.

They drove away from the crime scene, away from their nemesis who had caused the whole team grief for years. They were putting the past in their rear view mirror, driving forwards to face the new dawn.

xxxx

Jane was sitting beside Lisbon who was getting checked out by the doctors. She had some bruising around her neck and wouldn't be able to talk for the rest of the day. The doctor was trying to convince her to take the week off, which Jane knew would only turn out to be a few days. She was nothing if not stubborn. He just got off the phone with Grace. They had interviewed Rose and run a complete background check on John Cardinal, Red John's legal name.

"That was Grace. She ran a background check on Red John. He seems to have the same sort of condition as his sister, except that his wife cheated on him and that was his trigger. He then started killing women like he killed his wife, Red John's first victim. He had a high IQ but worked at a job beneath his intelligence level which is why he felt the need to outsmart the police and to play games with me and our team. They sent a team to search his house; they found a journal of sorts with all the details of his murders and who helped him. They're going to arrest all of Red John's friends. They called in a doctor who specializes in Red John's condition and he seems to think that keeping this journal was a side effect of psychosis. It's all over. Finally." Jane said.

Lisbon had acquired a pen and paper and started to write furiously on the pad of paper. She'd already filled ten pages while arguing with the doctor about the amount of time off she needed to take for her injuries.

'That explains why he said that you were fuelled by revenge just like him. He was getting revenge on his wife, each victim a placeholder for her memory, every kill in the name of revenge. Why didn't you kill him?' It said when she was done writing.

"Yes, that does make sense, in a twisted, serial killer kind of way. And I couldn't kill him. Killing him would mean me getting sent to jail and I couldn't leave you, not when I'd just thought I'd lost you. I love you Teresa, and I'm going to stay with you for as long as you'll have me." Jane said, sincerity pouring out of his eyes and words like a waterfall. Lisbon couldn't be bothered to write down what she wanted to tell him. Instead, she launched herself at him, attacking his lips with her own. She wanted him to know that she wanted him around for always, in all ways.

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**You didn't think I would just leave the Red John thing as I did last chapter did you? :p Okay, I admit, I didn't plan this part when I wrote last chapter but that's just between us okay? ;) I think that I will write one last fluffy chapter after this and then this will be done :( Why do all good things come to an end? (brownies to whoever can name that song and artist WITHOUT googling it! :p )**


	13. This Is Real

****

Here it is, finally! I apologize for the wait, I really do! I'm reading the Cather in the Rye right now and he always says things like 'I meant it. I really did.' So I guess that it may be rubbing off on me a bit :p Anyway, sorry again for the long wait! But here it is, the final chapter, dun dun dun. Thank you so much to every one who reviewed:

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Thanks to everyone who put this story on story alert:

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And to everybody who put this story on their favourites:

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Okay, I'm sure you've had enough of my rambling, on with the story!

* * *

Scarlet Fever

Lisbon was in her living room, on her couch staring at the television blankly. She was alone on a Friday night; she thought that having a boyfriend would remedy this pathetic tradition of hers, but no. Jane needed the day to be alone, to accept that the mad man who had been torturing him these past eight years was dead and gone. She knew that he needed to do this alone and she respected that, so she stared blankly at the television set without spite or anger.

Jane had gone to his house to gather his boxes that held all his memories of his family in them. He didn't know what he was going to do with them all he knew was that he wanted them close on this day. He didn't want them in the house in which Red John had killed his wife and daughter, so he put them in his car and drove. He drove past the park where his daughter used to play, he drove to his wife's favourite tea shop, and he drove past the place where he'd first met his wife. He drove to the church where his wife and he were married in holy matrimony, he drove past the hospital where his daughter had been brought into the world, and he finished at the cemetery where they were buried. He spent the whole day allowing himself to remember the amazing memories instead of the tragic ones. He knew that in doing so, he was healing.

There was a knock at Lisbon's door. Who could be at her door at this ungodly hour? She knew that most of the city would be sleeping, herself included. But her bed was lonely without the comfort that was Jane and she couldn't sleep. She grudgingly got up and opened the door to confront whoever was the source of the knocking and was faced with none other than Patrick Jane.

"I thought you were going to be gone today." Lisbon said quietly. She hadn't expected him here today and she was caught off guard.

"I was gone." Jane said. He stepped through the doorway and into Lisbon's living room. "And now I'm here."

"Are you okay? I understand if you don't want to be…with me, after what's happened. I mean, you probably need some more time, and if your feelings have changed, then that's fine too. I mean, I can handle it…" Lisbon rambled nervously.

"Teresa." Jane said. She looked up at him, braced for rejection, her eyes betraying her fear. "I love you. Nothing is going to change that. I took today to remember my family, before they died. It was cathartic and it was exactly what I needed. I know I'm not completely over what happened, but I know that they would want me to move on and that's what I'm doing, what I'm trying to do with you. It won't be easy, it won't be instantaneous, but I'm willing to travel this road as long as you're beside me. "

Teresa had tears in her eyes, but they were not ones of sadness, or grief, they were tears of joy, of new promises, of love. She wrapped her arms around his neck and touched her lips to his. She mapped out his face with her hands, traveling over the smooth planes of his cheeks, forehead, and neck. She poured her love and commitment into him by way of their lips. All of her emotions flooding from her to him now that the dam was broken. She caressed his lips again and again, never wanting this to end, never wanting to let him go. When the need for oxygen became too great, she reluctantly pulled away. She didn't get very far, leaning her forehead against his.

"I'll be right beside you." Lisbon whispered against his lips.

"Next time, will you come with me?" Jane whispered tentatively.

"Of course." Lisbon said. She pushed her lips to his for a reunion. She pulled him impossibly closer, not getting enough of him. She felt his passion and found herself addicted to it. She needed her fix of him and she needed it now.

Lisbon pulled away, backing up and leaving a slightly dazed Jane in her wake. He opened his eyes to see her walking backwards towards the stairs with a wicked smile upon her gorgeous face. He quickly gathered his wits and chased after her, sporting a playful smile of his own. He loved that they were able to transition from serious to playful so easily.

Lisbon turned to run up the stairs and got about halfway up to her room before Jane's hands encircled her waist and turned her around to enrapture her in kisses. She lost herself in his passionate embrace. She finally managed to pull away and take his and in hers, pulling him as she walked backwards to her room. She got to her doorway before Jane had his hands all over her, pushing himself against her and her into the doorframe. He desperately undid the buttons on her blouse, needing to feel his skin against hers. She was defter in ridding him of his shirt than he was with hers. He finally managed to rip her shirt from her, giving up on the buttons and he caressed every curve of her torso, extricating a loud moan from Lisbon's throat.

She'd had enough of their foreplay, wanting to go straight for the touchdown. She pulled him into her bedroom forcefully, vehemently. She needed him and she needed him now, she was not a patient woman at the best of times and he had her body humming of anticipation, a fire burning within. She adored him and desperately wanted to show him this much, she appreciated all he'd done for her over the year, all culminating in this. She would show him that he was the most important thing in her life and there wasn't anything but him that could push her away, and he was erotically pushing himself against her.

She shut the door, locking out their doubts, their fears, and their past. All that mattered was them in that moment, nothing and no one else.

xxxx

Lisbon lay in Jane's arms, completely sated after hours of lovemaking. She'd always been sceptical of love and of the term 'lovemaking' but she found that in their situation, nothing else applied. She loved him dearly and he requited her love.

"I'd like to tell you what I did today, if that's alright with you." Jane said, breaking the silence.

"Of course, you can tell me anything." Lisbon said, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

"I went to all the places that held the good memories of my family. I went to the place where I first met my wife, it was a gorgeous day and she was sitting in the park, just staring at the clouds. I was bold, but she didn't mind." Jane chuckled. He told her about all the memories of his family with only the slightest nostalgia because he knew that he had a family in Teresa Lisbon. She was listening with utmost attentiveness despite that late hour; it was so late it was almost early. She knew that she wasn't competing with his late wife and she loved that he trusted her with this information.

"I had one last stop to make before coming here." Jane whispered after he'd finished telling her of all the places he'd been and the memories they held. He shifted their position so that he could look into her eyes. He pulled out a box from out of nowhere; Lisbon's eyes went wide when she recognized what it was.

"Teresa, I love you and by some miracle, you love me too. Despite all my past mistakes and future ones, you love me. You think that I can read you like a book, but that's never been true. In fact, it's you that crept past all my barriers and walls and it's you that knows me better than anyone ever could. We both have troubled pasts, and this won't by any means be easy, but will you, Teresa Lisbon, work towards a makeshift happy ending with me? Will you be mine and accept me as yours, will you marry me?" Jane asked, presenting her with an intricate, yet modest ring.

Tears invaded Lisbon's vision, clouding her view. She'd never thought that Patrick Jane would propose to her. Yes, she'd dreamt of it but this was different. This was real, not just a dream. She felt all the emotions within bubbling to the surface and a tear leaked out and slid down her cheek. At this, she saw Jane tense, so it was true that he couldn't read her like a book. She paused for a minute, she could she that Jane wasn't sure what she'd say and was bracing himself for rejection just as she'd done mere hours ago. She decided to put him out of his misery.

"Do you even have to ask? Patrick, you are my life now and I would love nothing more than to be yours. Yes, I will marry you." Lisbon said with a brilliant smile on her face that she reserved just for Jane, she allowed him to slip the ring on her finger before ravishing him in kisses. She thought to herself about how she'd never thought she'd be here.

This was everything she would have asked for if she'd known what she really wanted.

* * *

**That's all folks! Thank you so much for reading my story, it was so much fun to write! This is my first story, as I've already mentioned, and I think that it was a success. Again, thank you so much for your support and everything :D I hope you enjoyed it. Since this is the end, how about you let me know your thoughts? :D *hugs and kisses all around***


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